Facebook says it removed over 3 billion fake accounts in six months

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook removed more than 3 billion fake accounts from October to March, twice as many as the previous six months, the company said Thursday. Nearly all of them were caught before they had a chance to become “active” users of the social network. In a new report, Facebook said it saw a “steep increase” in the creation of abusive, fake accounts. While most of these fake accounts were blocked “within minutes” of their creation, the company said this increase of “automated attacks” by bad actors meant not only that it caught more of the fake accounts, but that more of them slipped through the cracks. As a result, the company estimates that 5 percent of its 2.4 billion monthly active users are fake accounts, or about 119 million. This is up from an estimated 3 percent to 4 percent in the previous six-month report. The increase shows the challenges Facebook faces in removing accounts created by computers to spread spam, fake news and other objectionable material. Even as Facebook’s detection tools get better, so do the efforts by the creators of these fake accounts. The new numbers come as the company grapples with challenge after challenge, ranging from fake news to Facebook’s role in elections interference, hate speech and incitement to violence in the U.S., Myanmar, India and elsewhere. Facebook also said Thursday that it removed more than 7 million posts, photos and other material because it violated its rules against hate speech. Facebook employs thousands of people to review posts, photos, comments and videos for violations. Some things are also detected without humans, using artificial intelligence. Both humans and AI make mistakes and Facebook has been accused of political bias as well as ham-fisted removals of posts discussing — rather than promoting — racism. A thorny issue for Facebook is its lack of procedures for authenticating the identities of those setting up accounts. Only in instances where a user has been booted off the service and won an appeal to be reinstated does it ask to see ID documents. While some have argued for stricter authentication on social media services, the issue is thorny. People including U.N. free expression rapporteur David Kaye say it’s important to allow pseudonymous speech online for human rights activists and others whose lives could otherwise be endangered. Dipayan Ghosh, a former Facebook employee and White House tech policy adviser who is currently a Harvard fellow, said absent greater transparency from Facebook there is no way of knowing whether its improved automated detection is doing a better job of containing the disinformation problem. “We lack public transparency into the scale of disinformation operations on Facebook in the first place,” he said. And even if just 5 million accounts escaped through the cracks, Ghosh added, how much hate speech and disinformation are they spreading through bots “that subvert the democratic process by injecting chaos into our political discourse?” “The only way to address this problem in the long term is for government to intervene and compel transparency into these platform operations and privacy for the end consumer,” he said. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called for government regulation to decide what should be considered harmful content and on other issues. But at least in the U.S., government regulation of speech could run into First Amendment hurdles. And what regulation might look like — and whether the companies, lawmakers, privacy and free speech advocates and others will agree on what it should look like — is not clear. Of the 3.4 billion accounts removed in the six-month period, 1.2 billion came during the fourth quarter of 2018 and 2.2 billion during the first quarter of this year. More than 99 percent of these were disabled before someone reported them to the company. In the April-September period last year, Facebook blocked 1.5 billion accounts. Facebook attributed the spike in the removed accounts to “automated attacks by bad actors who attempt to create large volumes of accounts at one time.” The company declined to say where these attacks originated, only that they were from different parts of the world.

u.s .
tech
social media
facebook
mark zuckerburg


Mario Kart Tour could be the monster mobile hit that Japan gaming giant Nintendo needs

Abstract: More than four years after a much-ballyhooed entry into mobile gaming, industry giant Nintendo Co. remains bereft of a monster smartphone hit. But the wait may finally be over. Mario Kart Tour, set to launch this summer, has had gamers’ attention since it was announced in early 2018. Not only is the franchise one of the best-known video game racing series, it’s regarded as the Nintendo title most suitable for smartphones in terms of controls, opportunities to make generate revenue from users and features likely to hook mobile players. But investors remain cautious, given Nintendo’s patchy track record in mobile and the fact that Tour was already delayed once. That’s why most Wall Street analysts have excluded it from their profit estimates for this year, leaving a lot of upside. Should the game become a bona fide hit, that could be key to sustaining this year’s 32 percent stock rally. While the company has yet to release a single screenshot of the game, Bloomberg News scored a seat in a closed beta test that kicked off Tuesday. After putting the title through its paces, here are our early impressions. Typically, not all content is included in beta or trial versions, and game elements may change before a full release. Production values The app tries to capture the experience of a console, with polished graphics, sound and design. Anyone familiar with the series should feel right at home. Controls have been simplified for one hand on a mobile screen. Racers move forward automatically, so users just pull the screen left or right to control direction, or tap to deploy items. It’s well-designed and doesn’t get in the way of gameplay. Most of the popular characters are featured, including Mario, Luigi, and even Larry Koopa. The courses are inspired by prior Mario Kart games, and older players will get a big hit of nostalgia when encountering Boos on the Luigi’s Mansion course, or trains running through Kalimari Desert. Hungry for more? Super Mario Run, which debuted in 2016, appeared to bore some users within minutes, but the beta version of Mario Kart Tour offers more content. Players can unlock roughly 50 courses, 30 drivers, 20 karts and 10 gliders. Each one comes with bonus areas, progression levels and customization options. While some players in the beta test seem to be controlled by bots, others appear to be real people. Nintendo declined requests to clarify whether bots were part of the beta, but the company is expected to let people race each other when the game is formally released. Races get harder as users unlock faster speeds, which could also keep players coming back. That should be a relief to investors and gamers, who worried that Tour could be watered down. Nintendo executives have said they see mobile games as a way to funnel players toward buying its Switch console, where they can enjoy the full experience, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Tour. Show me the money! Nintendo has gone all-in on monetizing Mario Kart Tour, with one analyst calling the approach “pretty hardcore.” Content is unlocked by racing, but the game limits users to only a handful of races every 15 minutes. That nudges them to pay to unlock more play time. It shouldn’t be too severe for casual gamers, but heavy users will likely need to pay up. What’s more, each course gives some characters an advantage that makes it easier to win. But characters are unlocked through gacha , a gambling-like mechanism where users can’t select their reward. Also known as loot boxes, it nudges players to spend real money for more opportunities to unlock the racer they want. Investors will likely celebrate the money-heavy design, but gamers have already voiced displeasure on social media. In particular, being able to buy advantageous racers puts Nintendo in dangerous territory often referred to as “pay-to-win.” Electronic Arts Inc. faced a huge backlash in 2017 after including pay-to-win features in a Star Wars title. Overall, early impressions indicate Nintendo has a hit on its hands. Tour is a well-built mobile game with plenty of content to engage gamers. If Nintendo can push the competitive angle, including ways to lengthen the learning curve, it could keep gamers coming back. That formula has been proven to work well. QQ Speed, a mobile game from Tencent Holdings Ltd. that borrows heavily from the Mario Kart franchise, has grossed at least $617 million since late 2017, according to Sensor Tower analyst Randy Nelson. Mario Kart Tour could earn $1 billion a year, research firm NewZoo estimated last year.

smartphones
nintendo
super mario
video games
mario kart
mario kart tour


BOJ plan to fix ETF problem branded 'meaningless gesture'

Abstract: The Bank of Japan’s proposed lending facility for its exchange-traded fund buying program won’t help fix the more pertinent issue that’s curbing overseas investors’ faith in the country’s equity market — central bank domination of the ETF industry. That’s the view of Jesper Koll, Japan-based senior adviser with WisdomTree Investments Inc., a provider of exchange-traded products. The plan, which would temporarily allow the BOJ to lend ETFs to market participants, was a “meaningless gesture,” Koll said in a phone interview. What money managers really need is detail on how the central bank intends to eventually wind down its ETF holdings, he said. “It’s a giant yawn,” said Koll, who has also been critical of the BOJ’s ETF program in the past. “It doesn’t give me a new tool, it doesn’t solve any problems or answer any questions.” The BOJ declined to comment. Initially announced in one sentence on the last page of its April 25 statement on monetary policy, the purpose of the proposed plan to temporarily lend ETFs to market participants left many traders puzzled, while others speculated if the facility could allay liquidity concerns. The central bank first started buying ETFs in 2010 and has since increased its holdings to an estimated ¥28.7 trillion ($260.4 billion), comprising 73 percent of the nation’s ETF market as of the end of April, according to Investment Trust Association figures, BOJ disclosures and data compiled by Bloomberg. Koll says the lending facility isn’t necessary because investors can already short the market easily using futures. “I don’t have a problem with liquidity, I can short the market all day long if I wanted to,” he said. What’s worrying money managers around the world when deciding to invest in Japanese equities is the massive “equity overhang” the BOJ has created via its ETF purchasing program, Koll said. “The ETF buying program is actually the single biggest concern that global asset allocators have about Japanese equity investments,” he said. “Nobody can tell you how, what is the mechanism by which the Bank of Japan is going to clean its balance sheet of the ETFs. That’s a fundamental problem.”


Dollar slips below ¥110 in Tokyo trading on economic worries

Abstract: The dollar slipped below ¥110 in Tokyo on Friday as a risk-off mood grew due to uncertainty over the global economy amid intensifying U.S.-China trade friction. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥109.53-53, down from ¥110.29-29 at the same time on Thursday. The euro was at $1.1188-1188, up from $1.1140-1140, and at ¥122.54-55, down from ¥122.86-88. The greenback moved on a weak note below ¥109.70 in early trading, after losing ground in overseas markets Thursday following a drop in long-term U.S. Treasury bond yields reflecting growing concerns over future developments in the world economy. After falling below ¥109.50, the U.S. unit regained steam to top ¥109.70 later in the morning thanks to buying by Japanese importers. But it lost momentum again under the weight of renewed selling. In late hours, the dollar faced selling induced by a decline in Treasury yields in off-hours trading, an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service company said. The dollar-yen pair saw crosscurrents of selling and buying for position adjustment ahead of the weekend, one market source said. Players are “keeping a close tab” on four-day European Parliament elections that started on Thursday, among other events, the source said.


Nikkei continues to fall on weak U.S. equities

Abstract: The benchmark Nikkei average lost further ground on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday, with investor sentiment dampened by a continued fall in U.S. shares overnight amid growing concerns over the global economy and the U.S.-China trade war. The key 225-issue Nikkei average dropped 33.92 points, or 0.16 percent, to end at 21,117.22, after tumbling 132.23 points on Thursday. On the other hand, the Topix index of all first-section issues finished up 0.63 point, or 0.04 percent, at 1,541.21, rising for the first time in four days. It fell 5.63 points on Thursday. The Nikkei average opened below 21,000, falling past the line for the first time since May 16 on an intraday basis, due to the yen’s firming and the poor performance Thursday of U.S. equities, brokers said. The Wall Street drop reflected lower-than-expected readings for the May manufacturing purchasing managers indexes for Germany, the eurozone and the United States, announced by IHS Markit on Thursday, brokers said. The U.S. and Japanese stock markets remained under pressure from the trade conflict between the United States and China, the world’s biggest and second-biggest economies, they said. Soon after the dismal start, the Nikkei lost as much as about 230 points. The index gradually cut its losses and retook 21,000 later, partly thanks to buying on dips, but stayed below the previous day’s closing level throughout Friday’s trading. Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., said that the Tokyo market’s downside was underpinned by buybacks induced by remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. Trump reportedly said that major Chinese telecommunications equipment-maker Huawei Technologies, which is at the center of the U.S.-China tensions, may be included in a possible trade deal between the two countries. Still, Miura noted that the market lacked vigor as investors came to think that Trump’s view is a little too optimistic. Rising issues outnumbered falling ones 1,180 to 867 on the TSE’s first section, while 94 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.25 billion shares from Thursday’s 1.16 billion shares. Oil companies, including JXTG, Inpex and Cosmo Energy, met with selling after key New York crude oil futures fell to the lowest level since mid-March on Thursday. Industrial robot producer Fanuc and chipmaking equipment-maker Tokyo Electron were also downbeat. Mobile game app developer DeNA surged 4.75 percent in line with investors’ moves to buy domestic demand-related stocks. Among other winners were apartment rental firm Leopalace21 and Morinaga Milk Industry. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key June contract on the Nikkei average was unchanged at 21,100.


Revamped Mazda 3 series released on domestic market

Abstract: Mazda Motor Corp. launched fully remodeled Mazda 3 compact sedans and hatchbacks in Japan on Friday, claiming they are the first of the Japanese automakers’ next-generation products with substantially improved fuel efficiency and basic driving performance. In the Japanese market, the Mazda 3 had been sold as the Axela. But the company decided to sell the series under the globally recognized name. “We want to greatly improve the brand image” of the flagship compact cars in the domestic market, Mazda President Akira Marumoto told reporters after a launch event in Tokyo. The Mazda 3 allows the driver to maintain a more natural and less stressful posture while driving and to drive for long distances without feeling exhausted thanks to a newly developed technology that “organically” links the driver’s seat, the chassis and wheels, the maker said. Mazda put on sale 1,500 cc gasoline and 1,800 cc diesel models first and will release 2,000 cc gasoline versions with a new engine in October. The cars with the next-generation Skyactive-X engine consume around 30 percent less fuel than preceding 2,000 cc models, the automaker also said. Sticker prices for the new Mazda 3s range from ¥2,181,000 to ¥3,621,400.


Citing weakening profitability, lower margins, Moody's downgrades Nissan's credit rating to A3

Abstract: Nissan Motor Co.’s credit rating was cut a notch by Moody’s Investors Service, which cited the automaker’s weakening profitability and margins over the past two years. The issuer rating was lowered to A3 from A2, the rating company said in a statement Friday. Moody’s had placed the Yokohama-based automaker on negative watch in February. The latest downgrade comes days after S&P Global Ratings placed the automaker’s rating on negative watch, saying there is a more than a 1-in-3 chance of a further delay in Nissan’s profit recovery. Earlier this month, Nissan cut its full-year earnings forecast after third-quarter profit missed analysts’ estimates, adding to the fallout from the November arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. “The downgrade reflects the continuing slide in Nissan’s profitability, driven by weak sales in the U.S., its largest market,” Motoki Yanase, Moody’s Japan vice president, said in the statement. Nissan’s sales in the U.S. plunged 19 percent in January amid an industrywide slump, intensifying the pressure on Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa as he seeks to ease tensions with partner and shareholder Renault SA. It will take several years to gauge the success of Nissan’s strategy of emphasizing margin-over-unit sales growth, refreshing old models and lowering discounted bulk sales, Moody’s said. The new post-Ghosn governance framework will also take time to prove its effectiveness, the ratings agency added. Hurt by slumping U.S. sales, aging vehicle models and an out-of-sync product cycle, the carmaker issued a profit outlook of ¥230 billion ($2.1 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2020, roughly half of the average ¥453 billion projection. Nissan also reported its lowest annual profit in a decade at ¥318 billion.

u.s .
nissan
carmakers
financial results
moody 's investors service
s & p global ratings


Nomura CEO to take 3-month pay cut over leak of information about Japan stock market changes

Abstract: Nomura Holdings Inc.’s chief executive officer will take a pay cut to assume responsibility for improper handling of stock market information by employees, the latest setback for the struggling securities firm. CEO Koji Nagai will forgo 30 percent of his salary for three months, the firm said after finding that a researcher at an affiliate shared information on potential changes to the Tokyo Stock Exchange sections inappropriately. The Financial Services Agency plans to order the brokerage to improve internal controls, a person with knowledge of the matter said earlier, in what will be the first such action against Nomura since 2012. The incident could hinder Nagai’s plan to turn around Japan’s biggest brokerage after it posted the first annual loss in a decade. One corporate client has already said it will drop Nomura as underwriter of a planned bond sale. A Nomura Research Institute analyst, who was on a Tokyo Stock Exchange panel considering an overhaul of market segments, leaked information on the threshold for the changes, Nomura said in a statement. The analyst wrote an email to a strategist at the brokerage in March saying that he felt the cut-off point for companies to remain on the exchange’s first section would probably be ¥25 billion ($228 million) — lower than had previously been anticipated. Nomura Securities employees then shared the information with clients, with one salesperson sending an email saying “if the stocks were already sold on the assumption that ¥50 billion would be the threshold, there may be a chance that they will be repurchased.” Although the incident didn’t violate laws, according to the bank, it found that the strategist and salespeople interpreted compliance too narrowly and that supervision was lacking. In an internal survey, some employees indicated that they thought there were no problems with the incident. To prevent a recurrence, Nomura outlined measures intended to raise oversight and awareness of compliance. It will also close its GM Sales Department II in July, after an employee there sought to create a custom stock index based on the confidential information. As well as Nagai, other top executives will have their pay cut temporarily. Staff involved in the leaks and their supervisors have faced “strict disciplinary actions,” the firm said. A business improvement order generally requires the recipient to fix internal controls rather than pay fines. The 2012 penalty against Nomura was issued by the FSA after it found that employees leaked information on equity offerings, which was subsequently used for insider trading. Nagai’s predecessor resigned in the wake of the scandal. While the FSA doesn’t see the latest incident as amounting to insider trading, it determined that it undermined trust in the market, according to a report by the Nikkei business daily.

scandals
tse
nomura
brokerages
fsa
nomura holdings
koji nagai


Amazon Japan halts direct sales of Huawei products after Trump's blacklisting of Chinese firm

Abstract: Amazon Japan has suspended direct online sales of Huawei Technologies Co. products after Washington last week blacklisted the Chinese communications giant, sources close to the matter said Friday. The e-commerce titan’s move came as major Japanese mobile phone service operators such as KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Corp. postponed on Wednesday their plan to launch Huawei’s new smartphones — two days before the scheduled date. Amazon Japan is said to have stopped selling Huawei products it had procured on its own, including the latest smartphone models, personal computers and tablets, citing “concerns over the operating system.” Customers are still able to buy Huawei products sold by other venders on Amazon Japan’s e-commerce site. “We are considering a solution for our customers to safely use” Huawei products, said an Amazon Japan official. But the firm did not disclose when it would resume selling them. NTT Docomo Inc., the largest wireless carrier by number of users in the country, also said Wednesday it had stopped taking orders for Huawei’s high-end model handsets that were previously scheduled to hit the market in the summer. Many low-cost mobile phone service operators followed the major carriers’ moves, but electric appliance retailers Bic Camera Inc. and Yodobashi Camera Co. said they plan to sell Huawei’s new smartphones as scheduled.

smartphones
softbank
phones
cybersecurity
ntt docomo
kddi
amazon.com
huawei


Last U.S. slave ship the Clotilda discovered among Alabama's gators and snakes

Abstract: BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - The old wooden ship hull didn’t look like much when researchers first saw it: just broken, waterlogged boards and a few pieces of rusted metal, all stuck in the muddy bottom of a bug-infested Alabama bayou where an alligator and poisonous water moccasins swam nearby. Months later, after hundreds of hours of study and testing, historians say the wreck is the Clotilda, the last ship known to transport African captives to the American South for enslavement. The question now becomes what to do with the remnants of a ghostly vessel that’s a testament to the horror of human bondage. Some have suggested raising the ship and putting it in a museum. Others want it to become the centerpiece of a national memorial to the slave trade. Leaving the remains in the Mobile River and marking the area reverently is another possibility. Joycelyn Davis, a descendant of one of the Africans held captive aboard the ship, said she wants to somehow honor both the ship’s human cargo and the hard work of them and their descendants in forming Africatown USA , a coastal community where the Africans settled when they were freed from slavery after the Civil War. “I got chills when it heard it,” said Davis, who still lives in the area. James Delgado, a maritime archaeologist who helped lead the team that verified the wreck as the Clotilda, said Thursday that the ship’s remains are delicate but the potential for both research and inspiration are enormous. “Nobody has ever found one of these this intact and been able to dig it up, and that is now possible,” said Delgado, of the Florida-based SEARCH Inc. Officials with the Alabama Historical Commission will meet next week with residents in Africatown, just a few miles north of downtown Mobile, to detail the discovery and begin a discussion about the next steps. The Clotilda’s unique dimensions made it a one-of-a-kind Gulf Coast schooner, and it made multiple cargo trips in the region before plantation owner Timothy Meaher of Mobile hired it in 1860 for an illegal trip to Africa to gather slaves, Delgado said. Importation of slaves had been banned in 1808 and was punishable by death, so the Clotilda’s captain, William Foster, burned the vessel in a river bayou north of Mobile after unloading about 110 captives on to a steamboat. Foster kept a detailed log of everything he did, Delgado said, and that helped lead to the discovery of the wreck. A Mobile-area reporter, Ben Raines, spurred fresh interest in the Clotilda last year by publishing a detailed account of a wreck that could have been the Clotilda but turned out to be that of another wooden ship. The publicity resulted in a new search that led researchers to the spot where a wreck was found. A team descended on the wooden hulk to take measurements and gather a few loose pieces for analysis. Using detailed archival records of more than 1,500 ship registries, researchers determined the half-buried ship was the exact size and shape of the Clotilda. It was also in the same spot and the same depth of water where the captain wrote of scuttling the vessel to hide evidence after its one and only voyage as a slaver, Delgado said. “About half of the ship rises above the river bottom,” he said. “The hull is there, burned down to the waterline and above it in a few places.” With a gator living nearby and snakes everywhere, research divers descended into the brackish, muddy coastal water to determine what remained. Visibility was virtually zero, and one diver standing in the hull nearly impaled herself on a broken plank, Delgado said. “It is not a place anyone would want to dive,” he said. But teams were able to gather a few loose planks and pieces of metal, Delgado said, and forensic analysis showed they matched materials that detailed records showed were used in the Clotilda’s construction. One big question is what might be inside the still-unexcavated hold, where the African captives were kept. Delgado said the area could contain casks or food buckets or even manacles, but further excavation work is required. While there are no known photographs of the Clotilda, Labarron Lewis of Mobile painted a giant roadside mural depicting the ship along a busy road through Africatown two years ago. The announcement of the ship’s discovery came as he was planning to touch up the painting, which was based on an image he found on the internet. It also left Lewis wondering whether he is a descendant of the Clotilda’s last surviving African, Cudjo Lewis, who died in 1935 and was featured in the best-selling “Barracoon” by the late Zora Neale Hurston, released last year. “My granddaddy’s brother looked just like Cudjo Lewis,” the painter said.

u.s .
history
slavery
alabama
clotilda
africatown


West Point to graduate record number of black female cadets

Abstract: WEST POINT, NEW YORK - The class of cadets preparing to toss their caps in the air at the U.S. Military Academy’s graduation ceremony Saturday includes a record number of black women. The 34 women comprise a small slice of the roughly 1,000 cadets in the Class of 2019, but the increased number is a sign of concerted efforts to diversify West Point. Cadets say they’re proud to be part of a milestone at the historic academy The class graduating Saturday includes 223 women, the largest number since the first female cadets graduated in 1980. It will include 110 African-Americans, double the number from 2013, and the largest number of Hispanics, 88. West Point boosted efforts to recruit women and blacks after being told to diversify in 2013 by the Army Chief of Staff. The academy changed its marketing approach and opened a diversity office.

u.s .
women
discrimination
african-americans
west point


Thousands of children born in Colombia to Venezuelan migrants left stateless, UNHCR says

Abstract: BOGOTA - Thousands of children born in Colombia to Venezuelan mothers are stuck in legal limbo with no identity documents, putting them at risk of statelessness, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Thursday. Nearly 1.3 million Venezuelans have settled in neighboring Colombia, fleeing a political and economic crisis in their homeland that has caused severe shortages of food and medicine. About 20,000 children of Venezuelan parents have been born in Colombia, according to government figures, and many are not eligible for either nationality, leaving them stateless. Juan Ignacio Mondelli, UNHCR’s senior regional protection officer, said Colombia was committed to addressing the problem but needed to develop a mechanism to identify children who are stateless or at risk of being stateless. “The recommendation we have is that whatever the path the (Colombian) authorities choose to follow be it a law, a decree … is that a mechanism is planned that allows the cases currently registered to be resolved,” Mondelli said. “That this changes from being a problem about nationality to a problem about documentation,” he told reporters in Bogota. Stateless people, sometimes referred to as “legal ghosts,” are not recogniszed as nationals by any country. They are often unable to access health care and education and cannot travel, get married, open a bank account, rent or own a home. There is no reliable estimate for the number of stateless people although the U.N. has previously said there could be 10 million. Unlike most countries in Latin America, Colombia does not automatically grant citizenship to children born in the country. Under the constitution, children must have at least one parent who is Colombian to obtain citizenship. Nearly 3,300 children born in Colombia since late 2017 to Venezuelan parents have been registered at the National Civil Registry and have received birth certificates. But the bottom of the certificate reads: “Not valid to show nationality.” Obtaining Venezuelan citizenship is also impossible — to do so, a Venezuelan parent would have to formally register their child in the country or at one of its consulates in Colombia. But these are all closed since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia in February. Nohemi Luzardo fled Venezuela in 2016 and gave birth to a girl in Bogota 18 months ago. “I registered my daughter’s birth at the registry office but I was told if neither parent is Colombian then she’s Venezuelan,” Luzardo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “We don’t want to return to Venezuela and anyway we don’t have the money to travel so we haven’t registered her birth in Venezuela, and so she isn’t Venezuelan. She’s stateless,” said Luzardo, 27, who scrapes a living selling food in the street. To address the legal limbo, three different bills have been presented before Colombia’s congress, including one that seeks to allow children born in the country to undocumented Venezuelan parents to obtain citizenship. Colombia is providing free emergency health care and vaccines to Venezuelan migrant children, and to those born in Colombia, and many Venezuelan children are also going to school there. “They (stateless people) live in the shadows and end up in practice being excluded,” Mondelli said.

immigration
venezuela
colombia
refugees
nicolas maduro


Trump moves to escalate investigation of intelligence agencies' role in Russia probe

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information related to the origins of the Russia investigation, a move aimed at accelerating Barr’s inquiry into whether U.S. officials improperly surveilled Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump directed the intelligence community to “quickly and fully cooperate” with Barr’s probe. The directive marked an escalation in Trump’s efforts to “investigate the investigators,” as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe amid mounting Democratic calls for impeachment proceedings. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the “full and complete authority” to declassify documents relating to the probe, which would ease his efforts to review the sensitive intelligence underpinnings of the investigation. Such an action could create fresh tensions within the FBI and other intelligence agencies, which have historically resisted such demands. Barr has already asked John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to examine the origins of the Russia investigation to determine whether intelligence and surveillance methods used during the probe were lawful and appropriate. Still, Barr has been directly involved, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and is also working with CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Trump is giving Barr a new tool in his investigation, empowering his attorney general to unilaterally unseal documents that the Justice Department has historically regarded as among its most highly secret. Warrants obtained from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, for instance, are not made public — not even to the person on whom the surveillance was authorized. Trump explicitly delegated Barr with declassification power — noting it would not automatically extend to another attorney general — and only for use in the review of the Russia investigation. Before using the new authority, Barr should consult with intelligence officials “to the extent he deems it practicable,” Trump wrote in a memo formalizing the matter. Trump has frequently claimed his campaign was the victim of “spying,” though the intelligence community has insisted it acted lawfully in following leads in the Russia investigation and conducted surveillance under court order. Wray vocally opposed the release by Congress last year of details from a secret surveillance warrant obtained by the bureau on a former campaign adviser, Carter Page. The White House had eagerly encouraged Republicans on the House intelligence committee to disclose that classified information, believing it could help undermine the Russia investigation. Wray, though cooperating with Barr in a review of the origins of the Russia probe, would presumably balk at declassifying classified information that could reveal sensitive sources or methods of investigators. Despite Mueller finding no evidence to support criminal charges against Americans related to Russia’s actions, his report documented extensive Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 campaign and willingness on the part of some in Trump’s orbit to accept their aid. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff accused Trump and Barr of trying to “conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies.” “The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase,” Schiff said in a statement released late Thursday. “This is un-American.” Typically, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence coordinates declassification work by contacting various agencies where classified material originated to get their input on what should be released or not disclosed based on legal exemptions. The president, however, has the authority to declassify anything he wants. A former senior intelligence official who served in the Obama administration said their principle concern is that the attorney general, hand-picked by Trump, could declassify and release selective bits to make the previous administration and former senior officials look bad. The former official spoke on the condition that the official would not be named in order to describe the concerns of intelligence professionals. Thursday’s move further solidifies Barr’s position in Trump’s eyes as a legal warrior on fighting on his behalf. After Mueller submitted his report to Barr in March, the attorney general released a four-page summary to Congress. Barr’s letter framed the debate about the probe over the next few weeks and, White House officials believe, allowed Trump to declare victory before the release of the full report, the contents of which are far more ambiguous. Trump also appreciated Barr’s combative stance with lawmakers and reporters as he defended the Justice Department’s handling of the report, and again when he declined to appear before Congress and defied a subpoena, drawing a possible contempt charge. Trump has told close confidants that he “finally” had “my attorney general,” according to two Republicans close to the White House who were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. “Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,” Sanders said. Two of Trump’s congressional allies, Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan, were seen by reporters earlier Thursday at the Justice Department.

u.s .
donald trump
russia probe
william barr


NASA unveils schedule for Artemis 2024 manned moon mission

Abstract: WASHINGTON - NASA on Thursday unveiled the calendar for the Artemis program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. The original lunar missions were named for Apollo — Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness and the Moon. Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed that Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the moon planned for 2020. Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman. The three will be launched into space by the biggest rocket of all time, the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development but has seen numerous delays and has been criticized in some quarters as a bloated jobs program. Affixed to its summit will be the Orion capsule, for which Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor. In addition to these missions, which will be all NASA’s efforts, there will be five launches carrying the building blocks of the lunar mini-station Gateway, which will serve as a staging point for the moon landing. These will be carried out between 2022 and 2024 by private space companies, which NASA will pay for their services. The orbital station will initially consist of a simple power and propulsion element and a small habitat module. In 2024, astronauts will stop there en route to the moon. They will then descend to the surface on a lander. A part of the lander will remain on the moon while the other part will take off and allow the astronauts to return to their station, where they will board the Orion capsule and return to Earth. Bridenstine said Thursday that NASA had chosen private firm Maxar to build the station’s first module, the power and propulsion element, which would rely on huge solar panels. In the coming months, NASA will have to decide on who will build the lander. Aerospace giants such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin are vying for the contract as are new players like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. “We’re not owning the hardware, we’re buying the service,” said Bridenstine of the lander. “The goal here is speed. 2024 is right around the corner.” He added: “Our goal is ultimately to move on to Mars and not get stuck on the surface of the moon.”

u.s .
nasa
space
boeing
lockheed martin
mars
spacex
moon
artemis


U.N. health agency seeks to halve number of snakebite deaths

Abstract: LONDON - The World Health Organization is publishing its first-ever global strategy to tackle the problem of snake bites, aiming to halve the number of people killed or disabled by snakes by 2030. Nearly 3 million people are bitten by potentially poisonous snakes every year, resulting in as many as 138,000 deaths. Last week, Britain’s Wellcome Trust announced an £80 million ($100 million) program to address the problem, saying there were new potential drugs that could be tested. In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said it was “cautiously optimistic” WHO’s snakebite strategy could be a “turning point” in addressing snake bites. The agency called the problem of snake bites “a hidden epidemic” and said most bites are treatable. WHO’s strategy includes plans to increase global access to treatment and anti-venom.


Iran says it will not surrender even if it is bombed

Abstract: GENEVA/LONDON - Iran will not surrender to U.S. pressure and will not abandon its goals even if it is bombed, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, stepping up the war of words between the Islamic Republic and the United States. Earlier in the day, Iran’s top military chief said the standoff between Tehran and Washington was a “clash of wills,” warning that any enemy “adventurism” would meet a crushing response, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Tensions are festering between the two countries after Washington sent more military forces to the Middle East in a show of force against what U.S. officials say are Iranian threats to its troops and interests in the region. After pulling out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, U.S. President Donald Trump restored U.S. sanctions on Iran last year and tightened them this month, ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own. “More than one year after the imposition of these severe sanctions, our people have not bowed to pressures despite facing difficulties in their lives,” Rouhani was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying. Addressing a ceremony in commemoration of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, he added: “We need resistance, so our enemies know that if they bomb our land, and if our children are martyred, wounded or taken as prisoners, we will not give up on our goals for the independence of our country and our pride.” Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, also pointed to an Iranian battle victory in the war with Iraq and said that outcome could be a message that Iran will have a “hard, crushing and obliterating response” for any enemy “adventurism. On Sunday, Trump tweeted: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” Trump wants Iran to come to the table to negotiate a new deal with stricter curbs on its nuclear and missile programs. Reiterating Iran’s stance, the spokesman for its Supreme National Security Council said on Thursday: “There will not be any negotiations between Iran and America.” Keyvan Khosravi was also quoted as saying by the state broadcaster that some officials from several countries have visited Iran recently, “mostly representing the United States.” He did not elaborate, but the foreign minister of Oman, which in the past helped pave the way for negotiations between Iran and the United States, visited Tehran on Monday. “Without exception, the message of the power and resistance of the Iranian nation was conveyed to them,” he said. In Berlin, a German diplomatic source told Reuters that Jens Ploetner, a political director in Germany’s Foreign Ministry, was in Tehran on Thursday for meetings with Iranian officials to try to preserve the nuclear accord and cool tensions in the region.

conflict
u.s .
germany
iran
hassan rouhani
iran nuclear deal
donald trump


Trump tried to stop 'American Taliban' John Lindh's early release from U.S. prison

Abstract: TAOS, NEW MEXICO - John Walker Lindh, the American captured in Afghanistan in 2001 fighting for the Taliban, was freed early from federal prison on Thursday after serving 17 years amid concerns he might still harbor extremist views. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked government lawyers whether the release could be stopped but said nothing could be done. “What bothers me more than anything else is that here’s a man who has not given up his proclamation of terror, and we have to let him out. Am I happy about it? Not even a little bit,” Trump said. Lindh, who was 20 years old when captured, left the prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Thursday morning, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said. He had been sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty in 2002 to charges of supplying services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony. Lindh is among dozens of prisoners to be released during the next few years after being captured in Iraq and Afghanistan and convicted of terrorism-related crimes following the attacks on the United States by al-Qaida on Sept. 11, 2001. Leaked U.S. government documents published by Foreign Policy magazine show the federal government as recently as 2016 described Lindh as holding “extremist views.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Lindh’s release “unexplainable and unconscionable.” “There’s something deeply troubling and wrong about it,” he said on Fox News on Thursday morning. “What is the current interagency policy, strategy, and process for ensuring that terrorist/extremist offenders successfully reintegrate into society?” asked U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Margaret Hassan in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The bureau said in a statement that it does not share details of specific inmates’ release plans but that it does have policies for monitoring parolees with ties to terrorism. During his supervised release, Lindh will not be allowed to possess any internet-capable device without permission from his probation officer, and any such device must be monitored continuously, according to court documents. He is not allowed to hold a passport, communicate with known extremists or have any online communications in any language other than English unless approved. He also must undergo mental health counseling, court documents showed. Lindh’s parents, Marilyn Walker and Frank Lindh, did not respond to requests for comment and Lindh’s lawyer, Bill Cummings, declined to comment. U.S.-born Lindh converted from Catholicism to Islam as a teenager. At his sentencing in 2002, he said he traveled to Yemen to learn Arabic and then to Pakistan to study Islam. Lindh said he volunteered as a soldier with the Taliban, the radical Sunni Muslim group that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, to help fellow Muslims in their struggle or “jihad.” He said he had no intention “to fight against America” and never understood jihad to mean anti-Americanism. Lindh told the court he condemned “terrorism on every level” and attacks by a- Qaida leader Osama bin Laden were “completely against Islam.” But a January 2017 report by the U.S. government’s National Counterterrorism Center, published by Foreign Policy, said that, as of May 2016, Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.” NBC News reported that Lindh wrote a letter to its Los Angeles station KNBC in 2015 expressing support for Islamic State, saying the Islamic militant group was fulfilling “a religious obligation to establish a caliphate through armed struggle.”

u.s .
terrorism
taliban
al-qaida
indiana
donald trump
mike pompeo
john walker lindh


San Francisco police raid on reporter erupts into First Amendment debate

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - A battle between the press and police is playing out in politically liberal San Francisco after police raided a freelance reporter’s home and office seeking to uncover the source of a leaked police report into the unexpected death of the city’s former elected public defender. A journalist who participated in unlawfully acquiring information could be successfully prosecuted for a crime, First Amendment expert David Snyder says, but contends a police report is “not a confidential, legally protected document” and its disclosure and publication is lawful. Journalist Bryan Carmody said he received the report from a source and did not pay for it, though legal experts argue doing so would not have been a crime. Still, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said the journalist “crossed the line,” motivated by profit or animosity toward the late public defender, Jeff Adachi. An autopsy found Adachi died Feb. 22 of a mixture of cocaine and alcohol, compromising an already bad heart. Attorney Duffy Carolan, who represents several media organizations siding with Carmody, agrees that the public has constitutional rights to public records. “The impact of trying to criminalize disclosure of public records, whether or not it violated internal policy or practice, will have a profound effect on public employees’ willingness to disclose public records,” she said. “It would have a chilling effect.” San Francisco Sgt. Michael Andraychak said Wednesday that the report was not a public record and that state law protects crime reports when “disclosure would endanger the successful completion of the investigation or a related investigation.” Media experts counter that although the law allows police to keep reports secret, nothing in the law stops them from releasing the information. They note police did not raid the office of San Francisco Chronicle reporter who obtained the same information independently of Carmody. The newspaper has said it did not pay for the report. Police used a sledgehammer to try to get into Carmody’s home and handcuffed him for hours as they searched and subsequently removed dozens of cameras, cellphones, computers and other equipment. “We believe that that contact, and that interaction went across the line,” the police chief said Tuesday in his first remarks since the May 10 raids. The department said the same day at a court hearing that Carmody’s property would be returned while the legal wrangling proceeds. Reporters and other First Amendment organizations want a judge to revoke search warrants that authorized the raids and to unseal the materials submitted in support of them. Because the warrants are under seal, it’s not known what information police provided to support the search, or whether they disclosed that Carmody is a journalist. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that journalists are free to report on newsworthy information contained in stolen documents or illegally intercepted telephone communications obtained from a third party who violated the law, said Carolan. The justices may have ruled differently had the journalists encouraged or aided in the unlawful interception of the call, she said. But that is not the same as a reporter encouraging a public official or public employee to provide a public record. “That is what reporters do every day,” Carolan said. California’s shield law specifically protects journalists from search warrants. The Associated Press is among dozens of news organizations siding with Carmody and seeking to submit a friend-of-the-court brief. Snyder, of the First Amendment Coalition, said the chief’s comments seemed to suggest a police employee may have accessed an unauthorized system to obtain confidential information, which the report is not. “Would an offer by the journalist to pay the source to break the law be enough? Maybe. It would depend on the circumstances,” he said. “I don’t think it matters what Carmody’s motivations were. The question is: Was his conduct protected by the First Amendment? And all the facts I’ve seen thus far show it was,” he said. Scott has not provided details of the leak investigation other than to say that Carmody was an active participant in acquiring a police record, which the reporter then sold to three television news outlets as part of a news package that included information obtained from interviews and video footage from the scene of Adachi’s death. Carmody has not responded to requests for comment, although he posted on Twitter on Wednesday the hashtag #journalismisnotacrime. A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $16,000 for him.

media
u.s .
california
journalism
san francisco
jeff adachi
bryan carmody


U.S. charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with publishing classified info

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with receiving and publishing classified information. The charges are contained in an 18-count indictment announced Thursday. The new charges go far beyond an initial indictment against Assange made public last month that accused him of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in a conspiracy to crack a Defense Department computer password. The new indictment says Assange conspired with Manning to obtain and disclose classified national defense documents, including State Department cables and reports on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It says his actions “risked serious harm” to the United States. The 47-year-old Assange is in custody in London after being evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy in April. The U.S. is seeking his extradition.

u.s .
julian assange
wikileaks
chelsea manning


'Expect mass culling next': Botswana lifting of ban on elephant hunting angers conservationists

Abstract: JOHANNESBURG - Botswana has lifted its ban on elephant hunting in a country with the world’s highest number of the animals, a decision that has brought anger from some wildlife protection groups and warnings of a blow to lucrative tourism. The southern African nation is home to an estimated 130,000 elephants. The lifting of the ban raised concerns about a possible increase in illegal poaching of elephants for their tusks to supply the ivory trade. “Expect mass culling next,” the CEO of WildlifeDirect, Paula Kahumbu, said in a post on Twitter, warning that the impact of Botswana’s decision will be felt across Africa. Botswana has long been a refuge for elephants on a continent where tens of thousands have been killed over the years for their ivory, and the animals long have been a tourist draw. Some had warned of tourism boycotts if the ban was lifted, and even American talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres joined the protest. “President Masisi, for every person who wants to kill elephants, there are millions who want them protected. We’re watching,” she tweeted after Botswana’s decision was announced. Lifting the hunting ban comes amid growing conflicts between humans — particularly farmers — and elephants, the government’s statement said. It said hunting will resume “in an orderly and ethical manner” but does not say how it will be regulated. The country, with a population of just over 2 million people, suffers some human-wildlife conflict but has more space than many other countries for animals to roam. “Co-existence between wild animals and communities is the only way that wildlife populations will survive,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. “What a shame that Botswana, previously hailed as a shining example of wildlife conservation and a safe haven for elephants, has opted to become a promoter of trophy hunting.” Political friction between Botswana’s previous and current president has played a key part in the government’s shifting stance on elephants in the past year. The hunting ban was put in place under previous president, Ian Khama, an outspoken conservationist, but current President Mokgweeti Masisi began to look into it not long after taking office last year. The decision to lift the ban comes months ahead of general elections in October. Khama “says Masisi is just currying favor with the electorate whom he will meet for the first time in October, in an election expected to be extremely close-fought, especially as Khama has backed his opposition,” the Institute for Security Studies wrote earlier this month. Safari Club International, a U.S.-based group that lobbies to loosen restrictions on trophy hunting worldwide, cheered Botswana’s decision. The group has long argued that the fees paid by big-game hunters provide essential revenue for African governments to fund conservation programs. “It is heartening to see that the government of Botswana has taken all aspects into its careful consideration of this matter,” said Paul Babaz, SCI’s president. “These findings clearly show that hunting bans actually hurt wildlife conservation.” Though President Donald Trump has decried big-game hunting as a “horror show,” his administration has reversed Obama-era restrictions on the importation of elephant and lion trophies for personal use or display. Botswana also is among several African countries with some of the world’s largest elephant populations that have pushed for looser controls on legal ivory trade . They assert that the commerce will help them pay to conserve elephants, while critics assert that even limited trade fuels demand and drives up illegal killing. Botswana and neighboring Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are estimated to have about 256,000 elephants, or more than half of the total estimate for Africa. Earlier this month Botswana’s president raised some eyebrows when he gave stools made of elephants’ feet to regional leaders while hosting a meeting on the animals’ fate. Follow Africa news at twitter.com/AP_Africa

africa animals endangered ivory poaching elephants botswana


Canada's Trudeau exonerates Cree chief wrongly imprisoned in 1885

Abstract: OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been criticized by some indigenous communities, on Thursday apologized and posthumously exonerated a Cree chief unjustly imprisoned for treason more than 130 years ago. The Liberal prime minister received widespread support from Canada’s First Nations when he ran for office four years ago promising to reconcile Canada with the native peoples wronged during the country’s colonial past. Chief Poundmaker, or Pihtokahanapiwiyin, was a Cree leader during Canada’s North-West Rebellion of 1885. Historians have said he helped prevent a massacre of federal soldiers during a battle with the primarily French-speaking rebels, who were descendants of First Nation and European settlers. But when the rebellion ended and Poundmaker sought peace with the government, he was arrested, accused of treason and jailed for seven months before being released because of bad health in 1886. He died shortly after. “We recognize that during his lifetime Chief Poundmaker was not treated justly nor showed the respect he deserved as a leader of his people,” Trudeau said during the ceremony at the Poundmaker Cree Nation reserve in Saskatchewan. “It is my sincere hope that, by coming together today and taking this important step together as equal partners, we can continue the important work of reconciling the past and renewing our relationship,” Trudeau said. Trudeau was escorted to the stage by Cree members in traditional clothing and headdresses amid ceremonial singing and drumming. Traditional Cree teepees were set up around the stage where he spoke. The prime minister later shook hands with current Poundmaker Cree Chief Duane Antoine and kneeled to place tobacco on Poundmaker’s grave as a sign of respect. “Poundmaker was a diplomat, a peace maker, and was practicing reconciliation already in the 19th century,” Antoine said. “The truth is now known, and he will be remembered in history as a national hero.” Trudeau has made a number of apologies for Canada’s historic failings. Last year he visited indigenous people in British Columbia to apologize for the hanging of six chiefs 150 years ago. Soon thereafter he said he was sorry for Canada’s refusal in 1939 to take in a ship carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees. Trudeau is facing a tough re-election bid in about five months, and is trailing his Conservative Party rival slightly in opinion polls. In the past few months some indigenous groups have criticized the prime minister. In March, when an indigenous protester shouted at a Liberal Party fundraiser about the government’s failure to address mercury poisoning on the reserve, Trudeau said, “Thank you for your donation.” After a considerable uproar, he apologized. Earlier this year, Trudeau fired Jody Wilson-Raybould from his government and later ejected her from the party amid a scandal over allegations of government interference in a corporate corruption case. Until January, she had served as Canada’s first indigenous justice minister. Her treatment was condemned by many indigenous leaders in her home province of British Columbia.

canada
indigenous people
justin trudeau
cree
chief poundmaker


Netherlands wants tribunal to try some Islamic State members for 'mass atrocity crimes'

Abstract: UNITED NATIONS - The Netherlands called Thursday for the establishment of a tribunal to prosecute members of the Islamic State extremist group responsible for “mass atrocity crimes.” Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok made the proposal at a U.N. Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in conflict, saying there must be accountability and an end to impunity for violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws. He said Islamic State fighters responsible for mass atrocities should be prosecuted, preferably in the region, and if feasible by “an ad hoc or hybrid international criminal tribunal.” “I am fully aware of the complex obstacles on our road towards this goal,” Blok said. “But we have to keep in mind: Justice is a prerequisite of lasting peace and security.” He said the Netherlands will organize a ministerial meeting on the prosecution of Islamic State fighters on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly in September. “I invite Security Council members and others to join us on this road towards justice,” Blok said. The Islamic State group’s self-declared “caliphate” that once spanned a third of both Iraq and Syria has been defeated on the battleground but its fighters are now staging insurgent attacks. The atrocities its fighters and supporters committed have left deep scars. Thousands of members of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, mainly women and girls, were raped and enslaved, while men were killed. Suspected homosexuals were pushed off roofs to their deaths. Captured Americans and other Westerners were beheaded, and an unknown number of suspected opponents were killed. A Security Council resolution backed by more than 60 countries to refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court was vetoed by both Russia and China in May 2014. A new attempt at the council to refer Syria to the ICC would almost certainly face a similar fate. The General Assembly established an independent panel in December 2016 to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria. In September 2017, the Security Council voted unanimously to ask the U.N. to establish an investigative team to help Iraq preserve evidence “that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide” committed by Islamic State extremists. In March, the Iraqi government, with U.N. support, started exhuming a mass grave left behind by IS in the northwestern Sinjar region in the presence of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, whose slain Yazidi relatives are believed to have been buried in the area. Murad said it marked the first exhumation of a mass grave containing the remains of Yazidis.

courts
terrorism
u.n .
netherlands
islamic state
mass murder


Pittsburgh synagogue massacre suspect wants plea deal for life sentence, says lawyer

Abstract: PITTSBURGH - A lawyer for the man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre says he still wants to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Judy Clarke appeared in a federal courtroom Thursday and told a judge she hopes the case against Robert Bowers can be resolved without a trial. The 46-year-old truck driver wasn’t in court. Authorities say Bowers killed 11 people and wounded seven at Tree of Life synagogue last October. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. He’s pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors in Pittsburgh have previously indicated their intent to seek the death penalty against Bowers, but a final decision rests with the U.S. attorney general. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Thursday the death penalty review process is ongoing. He says the government won’t discuss plea negotiations in open court.

u.s .
terrorism
islam
death penalty
anti-semitism
judaism
mass shootings
shootings
pittsburgh
robert bowers


Protocol pitfalls abound as Trump heads abroad to meet royalty in Japan and Britain

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump was walking across the sun-splashed airport tarmac in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017 when the Israeli leader playfully warned his political ally about the confusing protocol he was about to encounter on his first visit to Israel as president. “What is the protocol?” Trump asked his host, referring to the rules that govern how dignitaries interact. “You have any idea what it is?” A smiling Netanyahu replied: “Who knows?” Trump’s next few weeks will serve as a master class in the finer points — and potential pitfalls — of protocol as he makes state visits to Japan and the United Kingdom, meeting with both Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Japan’s newly installed Emperor Naruhito. Plenty of world leaders get tripped up by the intricacies, and Trump himself has a spotty record in his diplomatic dealings on the world stage. He pushed his way to the front of a pack of world leaders as they got into position for a photo at a NATO meeting in Brussels in 2017. He belittled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over Twitter after leaving a fractious meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations last year in Canada. And he arrived late to Windsor Castle when he met the queen for the first time last year. Her schedules are arranged so she doesn’t have to wait for anyone. For all of that, though, the president can’t seem to get enough of pomp and pageantry. He raved about the reception he received in Asia in 2017, when China and other governments welcomed Trump by rolling out red carpets, staging military parades and putting on fancy dinners as he toured the region. Trump’s penchant for flattery is not lost on the Japanese, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe going all-out to become perhaps Trump’s closest friend among global leaders. The frills of a state visit, including meeting Emperor Naruhito and an imperial banquet, should bring out the best in Trump, said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think he’ll be on really good behavior,” Green said. “I think the Japanese knew very much what they were doing.” With nothing left to chance, diagrams have been drawn up to help Trump rehearse his movements at the Imperial Palace, where he and first lady Melania Trump will meet the emperor on Monday. Officials there say they aren’t worried about any diplomatic blunders, noting that Trump’s meeting two years ago with then-Emperor Akihito went smoothly. Governments across the globe, including the United States, employ officials who ground themselves in the ins and outs of protocol, the rules that govern how leaders and dignitaries interact and comport themselves. But leaders don’t always follow the instructions — for reasons as varied as a case of the nerves or sheer disregard of conventions. Etiquette experts say protocol exists to provide structure and help put people at ease, and that those who disregard it send a signal that their own desires are more important than the feelings and expectations of others. The White House never said why Trump was late to meet the queen. The press office did not respond to requests for comment on his preparation for the Japan and U.K. stops. During a 2017 visit with Saudi Arabia’s royal family, Trump and King Salman drank traditional Arabic coffee in small cups. Seeing that Trump held the cup with his left hand, taboo in the Muslim world, Salman instructed Trump that religious tradition dictates using the right hand. Trump then replied: “Always the right hand, right. Always the right hand.” Protocol has stumped other presidents and dignitaries, too. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush slumped over and vomited in the lap of Japan’s prime minister during a state banquet in Tokyo. Bush was in the midst of a lengthy tour of Asia and had become nauseous between courses of raw salmon and grilled beef. In 2011, President Barack Obama was zinged for talking as “God Save the Queen” began to play during his toast to the queen during a Buckingham Palace banquet. The orchestra started playing the British national anthem before Obama had finished the toast, which caused a bit of a stir at the dinner. She did not appear to be offended. During an earlier Obama visit to London in 2009, first lady Michelle Obama was criticized for putting an arm around the queen and wearing a sweater to their first encounter. Mrs. Obama, a well-known hugger, wrote in her memoir that she and the queen had bonded at the Buckingham Palace reception over their uncomfortable shoes and achy feet when the queen laughed. “I then did what’s instinctive to me anytime I feel connected to a new person … I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder,” she said. Royal protocol dictates that an individual wait for a sign from the queen or other family member that physical contact such as a handshake or an embrace is welcome. The former first lady said she tried not to let the ensuing media firestorm rattle her. “If I hadn’t done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing,” Mrs. Obama wrote.

barack obama
u.k .
royalty
michelle obama
queen elizabeth ii
imperial family
donald trump
u.k. royalty
emperor naruhito


Nancy Pelosi questions Trump's fitness and suggests 'intervention' option

Abstract: WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi openly questioned President Donald Trump’s fitness for office Thursday, suggesting a family or staff “intervention” after a dramatic blow-up at a White House meeting the previous day. Both the Republican president and Democratic leaders dug in a day after Trump stalked out of the Cabinet Room demanding an end to congressional investigations before he would work with Congress on crumbling U.S. infrastructure and other matters. By Thursday as Congress prepared to recess for the Memorial Day break, both sides were questioning each other’s stability, with the president insisting on Twitter that he was calm when he left the White House meeting that was to focus on infrastructure spending. Pelosi said Trump has established a pattern of unpredictability and at one point even joked about the 25th Amendment, the Constitution’s provision laying out the procedure for replacing a president. “I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference, adding again that she prays for him and the nation. “Maybe he wants to take a leave of absence,” she said. Asked whether she’s concerned about Trump’s well-being, she replied, “I am.” She also said the White House is “crying out” for the Democrats to launch impeachment hearings — the idea being that such a move would help him politically. This came after White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on CNN that it was “lunacy” and “insane” for Democrats to think Pelosi could accuse Trump of a “cover-up,” as she did just before the meeting Wednesday. “It’s very hard to have a meeting where you accuse the president of the United States of a crime and an hour later show up and act as if nothing has happened,” Sanders told reporters outside the White House. Hanging over the increasingly personal exchanges is a drumbeat among about two dozen Democrats and one Republican to launch impeachment hearings against Trump based on details in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report that Trump repeatedly tried to block the investigation. Pelosi has resisted, preferring a methodical process by which Congress investigates and lays out the facts on the question of obstruction of justice. But she’s been clear this week that any such finding could be worthy of a formal indictment by the House — that is, impeachment. It also comes as Pelosi is balancing the calls for impeachment with the restraint of members from divided districts who helped flip the House to Democratic control and now face tough re-elections 2020. Pelosi, the second in line to the presidency, said she thinks Trump’s actions Wednesday were part of his skill at distraction. But she also suggested that he’s unpredictable. “Sometimes when we’re talking to him he agrees,” she said, only to change his mind. “He says he’s in charge and he may be.” During questions, Pelosi also joked with a reporter about the 25th Amendment. “That’s a good idea. I am going to take it up with my caucus. Not that they haven’t been thinking about it.” She has been running out a string of Trump insults since the meeting on Wednesday. “For some reason, maybe it was lack of confidence on his part … he took a pass, and it just makes me wonder why he did that,” she told reporters back on Capitol Hill. “In any event I pray for the president of the United States.” “Nancy, thank you so much for your prayers, I know you truly mean it!” Trump tweeted from the White House. But by Thursday, the White House’s talking points turned to blaming Democrats for the apparent impasse on one of the few issues that have broad bipartisan public support. Repeatedly pressed on why the president seemed unwilling to multitask and work on legislation as other presidents under investigation have done, Sanders maintained, “I think the Democrats have shown that they’re not capable of doing anything else.” In fact, the Democratic-controlled House has passed several bills on issues including firearms background checks, prescription drugs and campaign finance reforms — though they were dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled Senate. Sanders also insisted that Trump’s walk-out Wednesday wasn’t planned before Pelosi’s comments and that the White House placard that appeared on Trump’s lectern as he denounced Democrats moments later had been printed “weeks ago.” Asked why Trump couldn’t work with Democrats after Pelosi’s comments because he felt insulted, Sanders said, “The president’s feelings weren’t hurt. She accused him of a crime. Let that sink in.” Despite Trump’s comments Wednesday about ceasing work with Democrats until investigations end, Sanders said “Staff-level conversations continue” on raising the U.S. debt limit, a critical piece of legislation that will need to be taken up in the coming months.

u.s .
impeachment
nancy pelosi
donald trump


U.K. election body says 'some' EU citizens were turned away at polls

Abstract: LONDON - U.K. election authorities acknowledged Thursday that some EU citizens were turned away at U.K. polling stations while trying to cast ballots in the European Parliament polls. The hashtag #DeniedMyVote began trending in Britain as voters cast their ballots in one of the 28 countries taking part in four days of voting. “Early morning visit to cast my vote only to have it disenfranchised because my declaration that I wouldn’t be voting in Sweden (my country of citizenship) hadn’t been processed in time,” Twitter user Lina Dencik wrote. The lobby group, The3Million, representing the interests of EU nationals working and living in Britain, said it had been contacted by “hundreds” of people who were turned away. Britain’s Electoral Commission said it was monitoring the situation but refused to take the blame. “We understand the frustration of some EU citizens of other EU member states,” it said in a statement. It attributed the incidents to misunderstandings by some people of European election rules for those living abroad. “The very short notice from the government for the U.K.’s participation in these elections impacted on the time available for awareness of this process among citizens,” the U.K. election body said. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government only acknowledged on May 7 that Britain will have to take part in the European election because it had not been able to complete the Brexit process in time. This limited the time both EU and UK authorities had to explain the different voting rules each country has for its expatriates. The pro-EU Liberal Democrats accused May’s government of deliberately trying “to silence the voices of our fellow Europeans.” “Liberal Democrats will hold the government to account for this bureaucratic shambles,” the party said in a statement.


In emotional address, Theresa May says she will quit on June 7 with 'deep regret' over Brexit impasse

Abstract: LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation in an emotional address on Friday, ending a dramatic three-year tenure of near-constant crisis over Brexit. “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit,” May, her voice breaking, said outside her Downing Street office. May, 62, said she would step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7. She would remain as prime minister in a caretaker role until a replacement is elected by the party. The leader of the party automatically becomes prime minister. May, who took charge in the aftermath of the 2016 EU referendum, was forced to make way following a mutiny in her cabinet and Conservative Party over her ill-fated strategy to take Britain out of the European Union. She will become one of Britain’s shortest-serving post-WWII prime ministers, remembered for presiding over one of the most chaotic periods in the country’s modern political history and for her inability to deliver Brexit. “I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honor of my life to hold — the second female prime minister but certainly not the last,” May said. “I do so with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love,” she said, appearing close to tears as she turned back abruptly and walked back into her office. May was pushed into the humiliating spectacle of announcing her departure from office following a meeting with the head of the Conservative Party committee in charge of leadership elections. She had previously said she would step aside once her unpopular EU divorce deal had been passed by Parliament, and this week launched a short-lived bid for lawmakers to approve it in early June, that has now been postponed. MPs have overwhelmingly rejected the withdrawal agreement she struck with European Union leaders last year three times, brutally weakening May on each occasion. With her resignation, the manner of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union appears more uncertain than ever. She had been under growing pressure to quit following months of political paralysis over Brexit, which have intensified in recent weeks following disastrous results in the May 2 English local elections. The Conservatives are expected to fare similarly badly in this week’s European Parliament elections when the results are announced late Sunday. May’s latest effort to force through her despised Brexit deal, which included giving MPs the option of holding a referendum on the agreement, proved her final undoing. The move prompted a furious reaction from Conservatives — including Cabinet members. “I thought she deserved one last roll of the dice. But she took those dice and threw them off the table,” a senior minister told The Times. The clamor for her to stand down reached fever pitch after Andrea Leadsom — one of cabinet’s strongest Brexit backers — resigned on Wednesday from her post as the government’s representative in parliament. She became the 36th minister to quit May’s dismally dysfunctional government — a modern record. In her resignation letter Leadsom told the prime minister she no longer believed her approach to Brexit would deliver on the 2016 referendum result to leave the EU. Several senior cabinet ministers reportedly then held “frank” talks with May on Thursday. May’s departure will kickstart a Conservative Party leadership contest — already unofficially under way — that is expected to be encompass more than a dozen candidates and favor a Brexiteer. That could lead to Britain, which has already twice delayed its departure from the European Union, opting to leave the bloc without a deal on Oct. 31, the extended deadline agreed on with Brussels last month. Tory MPs will hold a series of votes to whittle the contenders down to a final two that will be put to the party’s more than 100,000 members. Former foreign secretary and gaffe-prone Brexit cheerleader Boris Johnson is the membership’s favorite, but a considerable number of Conservative MPs are thought to hold serious reservations about his suitability for the top job. He has repeatedly said Britain should not fear a so-called no-deal Brexit. May was the surprising victor in a 2016 leadership contest to replace predecessor David Cameron after he resigned in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum Despite having campaigned to stay in the EU, she embraced the cause with the mantra “Brexit means Brexit.” However the decision to hold a disastrous snap election in June 2017, when she lost her parliamentary majority, left her stymied. May will leave office without any significant achievements to her name — other than the bungled handling of Brexit, according to political analysts. “She doesn’t really have a legacy that she can call her own other than just having to manage what is a very difficult issue,” said Simon Usherwood, from the University of Surrey’s politics department. “I think anybody in her position would have had great difficulty.” Others were more brutal in their assessment. “It was only an impossible job because she made it one,” said Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London.


Congress on cusp of delivering long-overdue $19 billion disaster aid bill

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday passed a long-overdue $19 billion disaster aid bill by a broad bipartisan vote, but only after Democrats insisted on tossing out President Donald Trump’s $4.5 billion request to handle an unprecedented influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The relief measure would deliver money to southern states suffering from last fall’s hurricanes, Midwestern states deluged with springtime floods, and fire-ravaged rural California, among others. Puerto Rico would also get help for hurricane recovery. The Senate approved the bill by an 85-8 vote. House lawmakers have left for the Memorial Day recess, but the chamber probably will try to pass the bill by voice vote on Friday, said a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Trump said he will sign it even though money to deal with the border has been removed. “I didn’t want to hold that up any longer,” Trump said. “I totally support it.” Much of the money would go to Trump strongholds such as the Florida Panhandle, rural Georgia and North Carolina, and Iowa and Nebraska. Several military facilities would receive money to rebuild, including Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Disaster aid bills are invariably bipartisan, but this round bogged down. After weeks of fighting, Democrats bested Trump and won further aid to Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory slammed by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017. Trump has feuded with the island’s Democratic officials and has repeatedly misstated that Puerto Rico has received much more aid than it actually has. Trump originally wanted no money for Puerto Rico before agreeing to $605 million for its food stamp program. But ultimately, Democrats said they secured about $1.4 billion, including money to help Puerto Rico’s cash-poor government meet matching requirements for further disaster rebuilding efforts. Talks this week over Trump’s border request broke down, however, over conditions Democrats wanted to place on money to provide care and shelter for asylum-seeking Central American migrants. Talks were closely held, but aides said liberal and Hispanic forces among House Democrats could not come to terms with administration demands. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York dictated the terms of the agreement because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was in a procedural box. Schumer took a victory lap with reporters immediately after the vote, recounting how he bested Trump on money for Puerto Rico and then carried the day by forcing a vote on the natural disaster-only measure. Schumer said the bill was virtually the same as what he and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, proposed six weeks ago. He said the bill “could have been passed then. It wasn’t Democrats blocking it.” Schumer led a filibuster of an earlier version last month over Trump’s refusal to sign off on money to speed further disaster aid to Puerto Rico. He said Democrats “insisted that Puerto Rico get the aid that it needed, along with the rest of America, and it is.” “This funding will replenish Puerto Rico’s nutrition assistance program, fund important disaster recovery projects, and allow critical infrastructure like hospitals and schools to be built back better,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. But border needs are increasingly desperate, and lawmakers will face intense pressure to act when they return next month. Money to house and care for migrants is expected to run out in June. The disaster aid bill was most urgently sought by southern Republicans such as Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, who want to help farmers who lost billions of dollars when Hurricane Michael hit last fall during harvest season. Midwestern Republicans such as Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also pressed for the legislation. Democrats didn’t pay a political price for filibustering the bill in early April, and Schumer remained confident that Republicans such as Perdue — who is close to Trump and faces reelection next year — were getting desperate. Pressure built, and Trump agreed to sign the measure after a phone call with Perdue and the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. “Well, we’re going to get the immigration money later, according to everybody,” Trump said. “I have to take care of my farmers with the disaster relief.” Democrats secured a provision that would block Trump from diverting any of the money in the bill for military projects toward building his border wall. Trump has declared a national emergency and has said he is considering transferring up to $3.6 billion from military construction to border barriers. The measure also includes a temporary extension through September of the government’s troubled flood insurance program, which is critical to the housing market in coastal and flood-prone areas.

u.s .
congress
mexico
fires
disasters
puerto rico
hurricanes
donald trump
chuck schumer


Backstabbing and constant change a feature of U.K. Conservative Party leadership contests

Abstract: LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation announcement Friday sets the stage for a leadership battle in her Conservative Party that will determine who becomes Britain’s next leader. The election of a new party leader is a contest traditionally filled with twists, turns, bandwagons and backstabbing. Here is a guide to how the unusual process works: The process: May said she will step down as party leader on June 7. She will remain in office as prime minister until a successor is chosen. Nominations for her replacement close in the week beginning June 10. The contest, which has two stages, should conclude by the time Parliament leaves for its summer break — set for July 20. The first stage will see the 313 Conservative members of Parliament whittle the nominees down to two in successive rounds of voting in which the bottom candidate is eliminated. The second stage will involve tens of thousands of grassroots party members picking the winner in a secret ballot. Whoever wins takes over what may be one of Europe’s hardest jobs. May has headed a minority government that has been rebuffed by Parliament on Brexit and British politics are in a state of flux. The new leader faces a race against time to secure Britain’s terms of exit from the European Union, with the country otherwise crashing out by default on Oct. 31. The new Conservative Party leader will pick up these pieces once formally appointed as prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II. The contest: The jockeying for position has already started as possible contenders build coalitions and some join the campaigns of others in exchange for private promises of future jobs. Some British newspapers list up to 18 hopefuls in what could be a crowded field. A few have more realistic shots at making the final two but many might run in the hope of a good showing that will merit a prime post in the new Cabinet. In past contests, the successive rounds of voting have taken place Tuesdays and Thursdays. The party said it expects this part to conclude by the end of June. The contest could go more quickly if candidates drop out. The new leader is chosen by Conservative Party members of at least three months’ standing. They mail in their ballots after listening to the two finalists debate each other across various venues over the course of a few weeks. May skipped this stage in the July 2016 leadership contest because her last remaining rival, Andrea Leadsom, withdrew. Leadsom’s resignation as leader of the House of Commons on Thursday pushed May toward stepping down. The intrigue: British politics are in tumult and few would dare predict how the whole thing might turn out. Conservative lawmakers will be torn between backing contenders who best reflect their own views, nominees who can block someone they abhor from getting in the final two and candidates who can connect with British voters. Those twists and turns give the Conservative leadership contests their drama. The bookmakers’ clear favorite is Boris Johnson — an affable former mayor of London and former foreign minister whose views are tinged with a particular distaste for Brussels. He is widely seen as the Conservatives’ answer to the surging Brexit Party of anti-EU populist Nigel Farage. Ever since the party had its first leadership election in 1965 — before that, the leader simply “emerged” from talks among party bigwigs — the early favorite never wins. That includes May’s victory in 2016: Johnson was the frontrunner before being knifed by running mate Michael Gove and dropping out. Her predecessor, David Cameron, overcame the favorite, David Davis, in 2005. The grassroots members who ultimately pick the winner are older and more socially conservative than the party’s millions of voters and, beyond that, the wider British public. But they, too, like the country, have big divisions on Brexit — the key issue at stake.

eu
u.k .
politics
conservative party
boris johnson
theresa may
rexit


Regime forces hit schools and health facilities in northwest Syria after rebels attack power station

Abstract: BEIRUT - Bombings by Syrian government forces damaged two schools and a health facility in the rebels’ last stronghold in the northwest, activists said Thursday, after insurgents successfully hit a power station in a government-held town. Fighting has raged in the last 48 hours in the region, where insurgents launched a counteroffensive earlier this month, trying to regain territory lost to government forces. The area is among the last controlled by anti-government rebels in Syria’s eight-year civil war. Activists and rescue workers said the government retaliated with an intense air bombing campaign. First responders said dozens of air raids and barrel bombs were dropped on villages and towns south of Idlib, killing at least eight civilians. Syrian insurgents had recaptured Kfar Nabudah from government forces on Wednesday, two weeks after troops entered it at the start of a ground offensive against the rebels’ stronghold. Naji al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the rebel fighters, said the government is carrying out a “revenge campaign for its defeat” in Kfar Nabudah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ground clashes have subsided but government warplanes carried out more than 60 raids on various parts of southern Idlib, part of the rebel stronghold that spans the province and nearby Hama. One of the raids knocked out a health facility in Kfar Oweid village, the Observatory said. Rights groups say that since the offensive was launched in late April, government strikes have hit at least 18 health facilities, including five identified to the government through the United Nations. Some of the facilities were targeted twice. The White Helmets, a team of first responders, said the raids also targeted two schools in Kfar Nubul and burned crops on several farms. Syrian Electricity Minister Mohammad Zuhair Kharboutly said Thursday that al-Zara power station in Hama province was back online and linked up to the national grid. Station manager Mostafa Shantout said a drone operated by insurgents dropped a number of bombs late Wednesday on the station, causing huge damage. He didn’t elaborate. The comments by both officials were carried by the official state news agency SANA. Al-Mustafa denied the fighters targeted the power station. He said the rebels have shelled Hama military airport because it is used to attack their stronghold.


Runaway barges break loose, crash into Oklahoma dam and sink

Abstract: OKLAHOMA CITY - Two unmanned barges that broke loose on the swollen Arkansas River in Oklahoma crashed into a dam hours later and sank Thursday, and they didn’t cause the structure to fail, which officials feared might happen. The barges carrying about 3,800 pounds (1,725 kg) of phosphate fertilizer between them became unmoored Wednesday night in the Port of Muskogee, which sits at the confluence of the Arkansas and two other rivers and is about 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Tulsa. At some point, the vessels were caught and secured to trees along the soggy riverbank, but they broke free again Thursday when the trees uprooted, said Tricia Germany, a spokeswoman for the Muskogee County Emergency Management Agency. The barges eventually crashed into the dam near the town of Webbers Falls shortly before noon and quickly sank. “They did a direct hit, they kind of turned a little bit,” Germany said of the crash. Webbers Falls officials on Wednesday ordered the town’s roughly 600 residents to evacuate due to the threat of flooding from the swollen river, which was at 42 feet (12.8 meters) as of 11:45 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. That is 14 feet (4.27 meters) above flood stage. Later Wednesday, they sounded the alarm about the runaway barges on the town’s Facebook page, warning they could hit the lock and dam: “If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!” The lock and dam didn’t break, though the Army Corps of Engineers was going to closely inspect them for damage, said Kenna Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Two downstream bridges, including an Interstate 40 bridge, remained closed after the crash until further notice. “We don’t know how long that’s going to be. Safety is the priority for this,” Mitchell said. If the warning about the runaway barges seems alarmist, it shouldn’t: During Memorial Day weekend in 2002, a manned barge struck one of the I-40 bridge’s supports, causing part of the bridge to collapse and killing 14 people whose vehicles plunged into the river. As for the fertilizer that was on the runaway barges, the amount that got into the river is significant but should dilute quickly because of the waterway’s heavy flow, said Jay Wright, environmental programs manager for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Management. “It’s soluble in water. If it’s exposed to the water, it’s going to dissolve in the water,” he said. The crash happened during a period of powerful storms in the central United States, including a system that spawned deadly tornadoes overnight. The wet weather has caused heaving flooding, and the threat from swollen waterways persists. On Wednesday, at least one unoccupied home fell into the Cimarron River near Crescent, Oklahoma, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, and erosion left several homes hanging over the swollen current. One death has been attributed to the flooding in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 53-year-old Laura Renee Moorman of Perkins drowned Tuesday after she drove around a road barrier and her vehicle was swept away by water near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Oklahoma City. ___ Follow Ken Miller on Twitter: twitter.com/kamiller7

u.s .
floods
environment
oklahoma
marine accidents