a little news, not much

AbbVie, the Illinois based pharmaceutical concern best known for Humira, announces its plan to purchase Allergan, the maker of Botox, for about $63 billion. (Reuters)

https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-most-difficult-launch-ever-2019-6

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israeli-startup-Eviation-wheels-out-new-electric-airplane-Alice-in-Paris-593316

Here’s how the US’s involvement in the Korean War started 69 years ago

 

Tuesday,  June 25, 2019

United States President Donald Trump signs an executive order sanctioning Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.  (United States Department of the Treasury)

Iranian president calls Trump’s new sanctions ‘outrageous and idiotic’ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a televised address on Tuesday criticized President Trump’s newly-imposed sanctions as “outrageous and idiotic.” Trump on Monday signed an executive order imposing what he called “hard-hitting” sanctions on Iran following Iran’s shooting down of a U.S. drone, with the president saying the sanctions would deny Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others “access to key financial resources and support.” On Tuesday, Rouhani said the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation,” and that the sanctions represent the Trump administration’s “certain failure.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman additionally said that the sanctions indicate “the permanent closure of the doors of diplomacy.” Source: The Washington Post

The British newspaper Independent in Arabic quotes an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city. (The Jerusalem Post)

After commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attack (18 July), Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie addressed the United Nations and demanded the Islamic Republic of Iran to extradite those accused for the attack to be judged by Argentine justice. He added the attack was “not against the Jewish community but against the whole Argentine people”. (Jerusalem Post)

Ibaraki Prefecture says it will start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay and transgender couples starting July 1. It would be the first such prefectural policy in the history of Japan. (Japan Today)

Democrats divided on approach to immigration policy Several Democrats in the House are struggling with the idea of backing a $4.5 billion emergency aid package, as they want to help detained migrants but worry the money will be used to carry out President Trump’s promised deportation raids. The House is planning a vote on Tuesday. Several lawmakers want to ensure the money goes to improving facilities where migrant children are being held. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she “will not fund another dime to allow ICE to continue its manipulative tactics,” while Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said she doesn’t trust Trump to follow restrictions in the bill. Republicans are opposing the package because the money won’t be used to enforce immigration law. The White House said Trump would likely veto the legislation because it “does not provide adequate funding to meet the current crisis.” Source: The New York Times

NASA’s Curiosity rover detects methane spike on Mars NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected methane on Mars several times since landing in 2012, but last week, it measured the highest level yet: 21 parts per billion. This is an “unusually high” level of the odorless, colorless gas, NASA says, but the agency cautioned that while methane is produced by living organisms, this is not absolute proof of life on Mars. “While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it’s important to remember this is an early science result,” NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted. On Earth, major sources of methane include cattle and the production of fossil fuels. Scientists will analyze the information and plan on conducting more observations. Source: NBC News

Boeing is crowding its employee parking lot with undelivered 737 Max jets

Monday,  June 24, 2019

Erdogan Dealt Stunning Blow as Istanbul Elects Rival Candidate

Iran Goes for “Maximum Counter-Pressure”
PEPE ESCOBAR • JUNE 20, 2019

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had discussed heightened tensions in the region with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman during a meeting in Jeddah. (Reuters)

Turkey’s ruling party loses control of Istanbul Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) took a hit on Sunday, losing the re-run of Istanbul’s mayoral election. Ekrem Imamoglu of the secularist Republican People’s Party, Turkey’s main opposition party, won 54 percent of the vote. Imamoglu also won the first election in March, but the results were thrown out after AKP claimed there were irregularities. Many view Erdogan, who served as Istanbul’s mayor in the 1990s, as becoming more and more authoritarian, with little tolerance for opposing views. He once said “whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey,” and experts say AKP’s loss could lead to an early national election and some top leaders leaving the party. Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city and its commercial hub. Source: BBC News

Two German Eurofighters collide in mid-air and crash near Lake Müritz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. While both pilots were able to eject before the crash, one of them did not survive the accident. (DW)

American serial killer, Michael Madison’s mother was stabbed to death in her home where the 2013 serial murders took place. Three others were injured and her grandson was arrested in the attack. (CNN)

NASA announces that its Curiosity rover has detected the largest ever measurement of methane on Mars. (BBC)

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says the tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and family members being held in Iraq and Syria must be tried or released, and calls on countries to take responsibility for their citizens and take them back if not charged. (BBC)

The 2026 Winter Olympics are selected to be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (BBC)

Sunday, June 23, 2019

The re-run Istanbul mayoral election concludes with a landslide victory for opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu and defeat for the ruling AK Party. (BBC)

Houthis launch a deadly drone strike that kills a Syrian and wounds 21 more. The attack takes place at the Abha International Airport, which was attacked two weeks ago with a ballistic missile. (Reuters)

Houthis warn of worse attacks if Saudi Arabia continues its escalation and aggression in Yemen. (Xinhua)

A ceremony is held at the former site of Germany’s Buchenwald concentration camp to remember people imprisoned there because they were thought to be gay. (Japan Times)

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera says he agrees with Argentine President Mauricio Macri that the “corrupt dictatorship of Maduro has its days numbered”. (ABC ES)

Chile is extending its offer of “democratic responsibility” visas, allowing Venezuelans to live in the country for up to two years, so that they may be applied for from any Chilean embassy or consulate in the world instead of just in Venezuela. However, Chile border control now also demands visas upon entry for Venezuelans, a tightening of the previous 90-day free period. The move should aid Venezuelans trying to travel through other Latin American nations that have changing restrictions. (Reuters)

Hundreds of thousands take to the streets of Prague to demand the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in the country’s biggest protest since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. (BBC)

 

Saturday,  June 22nd, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir says if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, there will be a “very, very strong reaction”. (Arab News)

The United States announces “major” sanctions against Iran to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons. (BBC)

The Trump administration releases a $50 billion plan that calls for investment in Palestine’s economy. (NBC News)

 

Friday,  June 21st, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House says, after tensions with Iran prompt a rise in oil prices. (Reuters)

Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir says Iran “has to understand that its aggressive behaviour cannot be sustained” and that his country is “trying to avoid a war at all costs”. (Sky News)

Japan’s Defense Ministry says Russian Air Force bombers violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area. (Japan Today)

Ten civilians are killed when a suicide bomber detonates his explosive belt in a crowd of worshippers at a Shia mosque in eastern Baghdad, Iraq. (Sputnik)

Korean Air confirms that US carrier Delta Air Lines has acquired a 4.3% stake in Korean Air’s parent company Hanjin Kal, which may help Hanjin resist pressure from an activist shareholder. (Reuters)

A Beechcraft King Air sky diving operation plane crashes near Dillingham Airfield on Oahu, Hawaii, killing all eleven people onboard. (The Guardian)

The End

 

Get Ready For Fireworks

London – March 1977

Friday,  June 21st, 2019

David Gilmour auctions 120 guitars of his personal collection raising $21.5 million, including $3.975 million for The Black Strat, his most iconic guitar. (Christie’s) (Rolling Stone)

Trump Barters for Borders — and Wins, Big Time
ILANA MERCER • JUNE 20, 2019 • 1,000 WORDS

Mexico ratifies USMCA trade deal Mexico’s Senate overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The deal is an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and comes despite President Trump threatening tariffs on Mexico a few weeks ago. Mexico’s Senate voted 114-4 to approve the deal, with three lawmakers abstaining. Some of those voting for the deal were cautious, seeing as Trump has been unpredictable when dealing with Mexico, but said the bill was essential in guaranteeing Mexico’s economic viability. Despite largely voicing opposition to Trump, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also pushed for the deal, essentially ensuring its passage. The deal contains many of the same provisions as NAFTA, but calls for more automotive manufacturing within the three countries. Source: The Washington Post

Riviera Beach, Florida, is paying $600,000 to a hacker who took over local government computers three weeks ago. (CNN)

Trump administration officials say that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the United States Armed Forces to conduct military strikes against targets of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone the day prior. However, President Trump reportedly changed his mind hours later and ordered an immediate stop to the operation while American warplanes were in the air and warships were in position. (The New York Times)

Trump reportedly approved, called off retaliatory strike on Iran President Trump approved a U.S. military strike against targets inside Iran in retaliation for Iran’s downing of a $130 million American surveillance drone, but the operation, already underway in its early stages, was abruptly called off Thursday night, The New York Times and The Associated Press report. Planes were in the air and ships in position to strike a handful of targets, like radar installations and missile batteries, before dawn on Friday. It’s not clear whether Trump changed his mind on the strikes or whether the administration backed down for other reasons, but Iranian leaders told Reuters on Friday that Trump had warned them about an imminent attack via Oman, saying “he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues.” Source:  Reuters

Global airlines re-route flights to avoid Iranian airspace Several global airlines are avoiding Iranian airspace near the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shot down a U.S. drone flying in the area. Major airlines like British Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and Air-France KLM all announced they would redirect flights to avoid Iranian-controlled airspace, citing increased safety concerns after escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order on Thursday prohibiting U.S. carriers from flying over the area until further notice, saying that the “misidentification of aircraft is possible.” United Airlines announced it had suspended flights to Mumbai and India following the FAA’s warning. Europe’s travel and leisure stocks were down Friday after the announcement, and Germany’s Lufthansa was one of the worst performing airlines on the market. Source: CNBC

Japan’s Defense Ministry said Russian Air Force bombers had violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area. (Japan Today)

Foreign minister of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir says that Iran must stop its “aggressive” behaviour and that his country wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs. (Sky News)

Senate votes to block Trump’s $8 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia The Senate passed three resolutions on Thursday that attempt to block President Trump’s $8 billion sale of munitions to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Seven Republicans voted joined all Democrats to pass two of the resolutions, 53-45, while the third passed 51-45, neither tally enough to override a presidential veto. Trump announced the sales last month, invoking an emergency provision to bypass Congress. But congressional members from both parties have taken issue with Trump’s workaround. “This vote is a vote for the powers of this institution to be able to continue to have a say on one of the most critical elements of U.S. foreign policy and national security,” said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Source: The Washington Post

Apple, Dollar Tree, Fitbit join list of companies opposing Trump tariffs Apple Inc., Keurig, Dr Pepper Inc., Dollar Tree Inc., and Fitbit Inc. are the latest companies to press the Trump administration to ease-up on China tariffs. The companies are urging President Trump not to impose more tariffs, following reports that Trump would be willing to impose more than $300 billion in additional tariffs on Chinese goods. In a letter filed Thursday, Apple said more tariffs would reduce its competitiveness. Trump announced this week he’ll be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at next week’s G-20 summit, where the two leaders will presumably discuss some sort of trade agreement. Source: Reuters

S&P 500 closes at record high U.S. markets surged on Thursday, with the S&P 500 setting a new all-time high upon closing. Markets climbed in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s announcement indicating possible interest rate cuts in the future. The S&P 500 closed at 2,954.18, putting the index on track for its best June since 1955. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also enjoyed a 250-point bump, coming within 1 percent of its record. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that “the case for somewhat more accommodative policy has strengthened,” though the Fed board has not yet announced a rate cut. Source: The Washington Post

Explosions at Philadelphia oil refinery shake nearby homes A massive fire broke out at a major oil refinery in Philadelphia on Friday, and the strength of an explosion in the blaze shook nearby homes. Firefighters are responding at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex after a fire broke out at around 4 a.m., with Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy saying that “it’s confined, and it’s being addressed, but it is not under control.” Several explosions at the refinery shook homes in Philadelphia and “jolted people from their sleep miles from the scene,” even being felt by some South Jersey residents. No injuries have been reported, the Philadelphia Fire Department said. This is the refinery’s second fire this month. The cause of the fire is currently unclear. Source: CBS News

 

 Thursday, June 20th, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked about the attack, says it is “hard to believe it was intentional”. He later approves retaliatory military strikes against Iranian missile and radar facilities, but subsequently changes his mind. (BBC)

NXIVM leader Keith Raniere is found guilty of seven charges, including human trafficking, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, forced labor conspiracy, and racketeering. (NPR)

At least 44 people are killed when a bus carrying at least 60 plunges into a gorge in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous northern Indian state. (BBC)

The Colombian military reveals that dissident FARC groups, in spite of a 2016 treaty, have been recruiting Venezuelan migrants at illegal border crossings, strengthening their numbers and increasing attacks. (Reuters)

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is eliminated after coming in fourth place in the fourth round of voting. Boris Johnson remains the front runner, with Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt coming in second and third place respectively.(BBC)

In the fifth round of voting, Gove is controversially eliminated. The party membership run-off vote will be between Johnson and Hunt. (The Guardian)

Roy Moore, the former judge accused of sexual misconduct with teens decades ago, announces that he would run for U.S. Senate again in Alabama, defying the wishes of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. (CNBC)

 

 

Iran shoots down U.S. drone near Strait of Hormuz Iran and the U.S. said Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a U.S. drone early Thursday, but the two countries disagreed on where it was flying when it was hit by Iran’s surface-to-air missile. Iran said it downed a U.S. Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk “spy” drone after it crossed into Iranian airspace, but U.S. officials tell Reuters that the MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions are high between Iran and the U.S., and President Trump tweeted that “Iran made a very big mistake.” IRGC commander Gen. Hossein Salami said the “the downing of the American drone was a clear message to America” that “our borders are our red line.” Source: BBC News

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shoots down an American spy drone after it allegedly violates Iranian airspace. (Raidió Teilifís Éireann)

An anonymous American official says the incident occurred in international airspace, and not over Iranian territory. (The Times of Israel)

China’s Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Pyongyang on Thursday, where he is expected to discuss aid, the economy, and nuclear talks with leader Kim Jong Un. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years, and will stay for two days. The pair will likely talk about Kim’s failed February summit with President Trump, which crumbled after the two sides could not reach an agreement on North Korea ending its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. China is dealing with its own trade issue with the United States, and the visit is supposed to strengthen ties between China and North Korea. Source: The Guardian

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea for a two-day state visit with Kim Jong-un. (Los Angeles Times)

Biden campaign aides reportedly unhappy with his segregationist remarks Former Vice President Joe Biden pushed back on criticism about comments he made Tuesday night in which he touted his ability to get business done with two former senators, both hard-line segregationists, in the 1970s. “I ran for the United States Senate because I disagreed with the views of the segregationists,” he said. Asked if he should apologize for his remarks, as Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said, Biden asked what he would apologize for, adding: “Cory should apologize. He knows better. There’s not a racist bone in my body.” Later on CNN, Booker called Biden’s pushback “so insulting and so missing the larger point.” Reports on Thursday said Biden’s campaign aides had warned him against mentioning this anecdote and called it a “point of contention.” Source: USA Today

 

Slack set to debut on NYSE with $15 billion valuation Slack is set to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday with an estimated initial valuation of $15.7 billion, or $26 a share. In contrast to the majority of tech companies, Slack is not filing an initial public offering but using a direct offering instead. Slack’s reference price will be $26 per share, but its opening price could change on Thursday depending on market makers. By going the route of a direct offering, Slack is allowing its current shareholders to immediately sell their shares into the market instead of offering new shares. Direct offerings can be more beneficial for immediate trading, and they can also avoid underwriting fees, which are accrued in an IPO. Slack follows in the footsteps of Spotify, which popularized direct offerings after filing its own in 2018. Source: Fortune

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mark Lennihan/AP/Shutterstock (10191127a)
Actress Allison Mack leaves Brooklyn federal court, in New York. Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering charges on Monday in a case involving a cult-like group based in upstate New York. The trial is expected to detail sensational allegations that the group, called NXIVM, recruited sex slaves for its spiritual leader, Keith Raniere
Branded Women, New York, USA – 08 Apr 2019

 

Wednesday,  June 19th, 2019

Four people, three Russians and a Ukrainian, will be charged with murder for the crash that killed 298 people on July 17, 2014. The trial is to be held on March 9, 2020 and take place in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands. (CNN)

Li Ka-shing, “Hong Kong’s richest man”, pledges to pay, via his charitable foundation, the tuition fees of the Shantou University’s 2019 incoming class for up to five years. (BBC)

The UN predicts that over five million Venezuelans, over 15% of the nation’s population, will have left the country by the end of 2019 since the start of the crisis in Venezuela—the total at the end of 2018 was 3.3 million. One million have left the country since November, with a daily average of 5,000 departures. Additionally, over 20% of all worldwide UN asylum requests are from Venezuelans; 350,000 applied in 2018 alone. (Financial Times)

Millions of people in southeast India face water shortages due to drought and depleted groundwater. (CBC)

The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan’s northern coast. (Japan Today)

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir says that the UN’s report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is unfounded, saying it has “clear contradictions and baseless allegations.” (Gulf News)

Rory Stewart is eliminated after coming in fifth place in today’s third round voting. The front runner remains Boris Johnson. Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, and Sajid Javid came in second, third, and fourth respectively. A fourth round will be taken tomorrow. (BBC)

The End

 

What the fuck is that thing?

https://pagesix.com/2019/06/18/lindsay-lohan-losing-her-mtv-show-and-mykonos-nightclub/

 

Wednesday,  June 19th, 2019

Adel al-Jubeir says that the UN’s Khashoggi report is unfounded. “The report of the rapporteur at the [UN] Human Rights Council includes clear contradictions and baseless allegations that strike at its credibility,” – “We strongly reject any attempt to touch the kingdom’s leadership, push the case out of the track of justice in the kingdom, or affect it in any form,”, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said. (Gulf News)

The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan’s northern coast. (Japan Today)

Four people, three Russians and a Ukrainian, will be charged with murder for the crash that killed 298 people on 17 July 2014. The trial is to be held on March 9, 2020 and take place in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands. (CNN)

U.N. investigator blames Saudi Arabia for Jamal Khashoggi’s ‘extrajudicial killing’ In a long-awaited 101-page report released Wednesday morning, special United Nations human rights investigator Agnes Callamard said Saudi Arabia is legally responsible for the “deliberate, premeditated execution” of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khasoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October. Callamard, said her investigation, hampered by a lack of cooperation and likely obstruction by the Saudi government, found no “smoking gun” linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the “extrajudicial killing,” but she found enough “credible evidence” to warrant “further investigation by a proper authority” independent of Saudi Arabia. Callamard also gave a gruesome, detailed timeline of Khashoggi’s sedation, suffocation, and dismemberment. Source: CNN

4 people to be charged with murder following disappearance of MH17 Four people will be charged with murder and accused of causing the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the plane that was shot down in Ukraine in 2014, investigators announced Wednesday. The flight crashed, killing 298 people. The four suspects include Igor Kirkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, and Oleg Pulatov, who are Russian nationals, and Leonid Kharchenko, who is Ukrainian. Investigators say that the suspects did not fire the missile that downed MH17, but say they are “just as punishable.” They are suspected of working to obtain the missile, “with the goal to shoot a plane.” The Joint Investigation Team, who announced the charges, is made up of investigators from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. Source: CNN

 

Tuesday,  June 18th, 2019

In response to accusations by the United States that Iran is responsible for last week’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, and the subsequent increased U.S. military presence in the region, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says “Iran will not wage war against any nation”. (CBC)

Google announces that it is setting aside $750 million in land and $250 million in financing to encourage developers in the San Francisco area to build and rehabilitate housing, in order to ease the homeless crisis in a region where Google has 45,000 employees. (Reuters)

Boeing sells 200 of its 737 MAX planes to International Airlines Group, the first sale of the controversial airliners since two fatal crashes and subsequent worldwide groundings earlier this year. (CNBC)

Colombian authorities deport Venezuelan refugees in the border town of Cúcuta; in response, the Venezuelan government restricts movement of Colombians into the country. (Al Jazeera)

It is reported that Roberto Marrero, aide to Venezuela’s partially-recognized interim President Juan Guaidó, who was arrested several months ago, has his preliminary hearing completed, with Judge Carol Padilla denying his right to defense and ordering his incarceration. (El Universal)

Boris Johnson again leads after the second Tory MP leadership ballot with 126 ballots, 12 more than in the first round. Dominic Raab is eliminated after coming in last with 30 votes, three fewer than the minimum needed to progress. Jeremy Hunt (40), Michael Gove (41), Sajid Javid (33) and Rory Stewart (37) all received enough to advance to tomorrow’s third round. (BBC)

Patrick Shanahan, who has been acting Secretary of Defense since January 1, has withdrawn his name from consideration as Secretary “… to devote more time to his family”, President Trump said. Secretary of the Army Mark Esper will be the acting Secretary of Defense. (BBC)

One of the towers of the centuries-old Citadel of Ghazni, Afghanistan collapses amid heavy rainfall. (BBC)

U.S. President Donald Trump confirms he has been briefed on a spike of UFO sightings in Earth’s atmosphere by United States Navy pilots, saying “people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly”. The U.S. Navy recently updated its guidelines for how its pilots can report “unidentified aircraft”. (ABC News)

Almost half of singles in Japan who wish to get married are unable to find a suitable partner, with 61.4 percent of the group stating they are not doing anything to change the situation, a government survey shows. (Japan Today)

Japanese anime developers report that the industry is in crisis, even as its popularity soars in its native country. Among the reasons are low pay, long hours, and a huge shortage of artists – just as its global popularity reaches record levels. (Japan Today)

A man identified as Yujiro Iimori, who allegedly stabbed and robbed a police officer of his gun, is arrested in Osaka, Japan. He presents a mental health certificate as defense. (The Japan Times)

U.S. to send 1,000 more troops to Middle East over Iran’s ‘hostile behavior’ In response to attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, an additional 1,000 U.S. troops are being sent to the Middle East, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced Monday. The U.S. says Iran is behind the attacks, and “hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups … threaten United States personnel and interests across the region,” Shanahan said. These troops, who will join 1,500 other soldiers sent to the region last month after similar tanker attacks, are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” he added. Earlier Monday, Iran said that within 10 days it will go over the 300 kg of low-enriched uranium it can retain under its 2015 nuclear deal. Source: Politico

Trump says ICE will start deporting ‘millions’ of immigrants ‘next week’ In a tweet Monday night, President Trump said that “next week,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.” Trump appears to be referring to a real plan “in preparation for months that aims to round up thousands of migrant parents and children in a blitz operation across major U.S. cities,” The Washington Post reports, but ICE officials said Monday night they were unaware Trump planned to tweet about it, and “publicizing a future law enforcement operation is unheard of at ICE.” The agency, whose acting leadership seems willing to conduct the mass raids, doesn’t appear to have the necessary personnel or budget to do it. Source: The Washington Post

Record number of migrants from Central Africa arriving at U.S.-Mexico border In recent weeks, a record number of African migrants have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, fleeing from political persecution and economic hardship. During one week, Border Patrol agents in Texas’ Del Rio sector stopped more than 500 African migrants; only 211 African migrants were detained along the entire southern border during the 2018 fiscal year, The Associated Press reports. Most of the migrants are from the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Cameroon. They fly to South America from Africa, then travel by land to the U.S.-Mexico border, with many seeking asylum at ports of entry. Over the last several days, 170 asylum seekers were bused to Portland, Maine, where Somali refugees were resettled in the 1990s. Hundreds more are expected to arrive in the near future. Source: The Associated Press

 

Monday,  June 17th, 2019

Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a coup in 2013 and has been detained in jail since then, dies after fainting during an espionage court hearing. (CNN)

Acting United States Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan authorizes the deployment of approximately 1,000 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East region “for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats” amid increased tensions with Iran. The move comes four days after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman incident. (NBC News)

Iran announces that within ten days, it will stop abiding by the agreement and will exceed the limit on its stockpile of uranium. (NPR)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tells the Fars News Agency “the time is short for Europe to save the international nuclear deal”, and calls on France to take the lead. Reuters reports that Rouhani added the collapse of the nuclear deal would not be in the interests of the region and the world. (BBC)

Ecuador agrees to allow U.S. military planes fighting drug trafficking to operate from San Cristóbal Airport in the Galápagos Islands. National Assembly legislators call on Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin and Environmental Minister Marcelo Mata to explain the scope of co-operation. (BBC)

The Venezuelan government releases deputy Gilber Caro, who had been illegally detained and disappeared for three months as a political prisoner. (VOA)

Three Boko Haram suicide bombers blew themselves up among a group of football fans, killing 30 people and wounding 40 others, in Konduga, Nigeria. (BBC)

Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured when a passenger grabbed the steering wheel of a bus in West Java, Indonesia, causing it to crash. (BBC)

Iran says it will exceed nuclear deal’s uranium limits in 10 days Iran said Monday that it will exceed the limits on stockpiled low-enriched uranium set up under a 2015 nuclear deal unless European signatories find a way to work around U.S. sanctions within 10 days. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, said Iran has already accelerated its production of uranium and could soon begin enriching it to up to 20 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit in the deal and significantly closer to the 90 percent enrichment considered weapons-grade. Iran had previously given the Europeans until July 7 to come up with a plan to salvage the deal, which the Trump administration has chipped away at for two years, and Monday’s announcement coincides with a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. Source:  The Washington Post

More Below The Fold

The End of Music

Thursday, June 13th, 2019

A billionaire venture capitalist thinks music as we know it will be dead in 10 years

A committee of the US House of Representatives announces that it will hold a hearing next Thursday (June 20) to examine fuel efficiency standards, as the Trump administration presses for a rollback of an Obama-era schedule of 5% reductions in emissions per year. (Reuters)

Two oil tankers are on fire in the Gulf of Oman, including a Taiwanese CPC Corporation tanker, which has been reported as “on fire and adrift”, after reportedly being struck by torpedoes. The Norwegian Maritime Authority says a Norwegian-owned tanker has “been attacked”, leading to multiple explosions onboard, and that its 23 crew members had been rescued. (BBC) (Sky News)

Japan offers to mediate between Iran and the U.S.; officials say the Japanese government hopes to rescue the landmark 2015 international nuclear deal.  (Reuters)

Iran defends execution of gay people. The United States and Germany have condemned Iran after its foreign minister defended the policy of execution for homosexuality. The issue erupted after a pointed question from a German reporter. (Deustche Welle)

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recommends that the Trump administration remove Kellyanne Conway from her office as senior aide to President Trump because of her repeated violations of the Hatch Act of 1939. The Trump administration rejects the OSC’s recommendations, saying they “are deeply flawed and violate [Conway’s] constitutional rights to free speech and due process.” (USA Today)

 

Wednesday,  June 12th, 2019

Despite dense fog, SpaceX successfully launches the Canadian Space Agency’s RADARSAT Constellation satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (CNET)

In ice hockey, the St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins four games to three to win their first Stanley Cup. (CBS Sports)

A ballistic missile fired by Houthi forces strikes the arrivals hall at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people. (CNN)

Chinese telecommunications and electronics company Huawei cancels its new laptop launch. A Huawei executive said the company has been “unable to supply the PC” because of the U.S. trade blacklist and may have to scrap the project. (BBC)

A speedboat carrying migrants reportedly sinks off the coast of Venezuela en route to Curaçao, making it the third migrant boat leaving Venezuela to sink in as many months, with over 50 people missing. (BBC)

Wellcome Trust director Dr. Jeremy Farrar says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has killed 1,400 people since August 2018, is the worst since the 2013–2016 outbreak in West Africa and shows “no sign of stopping”. Uganda reported its first two deaths. (BBC)

Reuters reports, on the basis of an unnamed “senior administration” source, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring the government of Saudi Arabia to show some progress in its investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi before the one-year anniversary in October. (Reuters)

Former Stanford University sailing coach, John Vandemoer is sentenced to two years probation with the first six months to be served under house arrest. Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced among the 50 individuals indicted on federal charges related to the U.S. college admissions bribery scheme. (Los Angeles Times)

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signs abortion rights law making the procedure a “fundamental right” for women in the state. (Chicago Tribune)

Russian authorities detain hundreds of protesters, including Novaya Gazeta journalist and protest organizer Ilya AzarIlya and other reporters, at an “unauthorized march” in Moscow demanding punishment for police who detained anti-corruption journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov’s charges were dropped and he was released yesterday at which time Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said some officers who had taken part in his detention were suspended pending an investigation. (BBC)

More text messages between judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, implicating Vice-President of the Supreme Federal Court Luiz Fux in illicit collaboration between Brazilian judges and Car Wash’s team of prosecutors. (Veja)

The End 

 

05.09.2019

Thursday, May 9th, 2019

SEBIN agents detain Juan Guaidó’s deputy Edgar Zambrano, the Vice President of the opposition-held National Assembly, and are reported to have taken him to El Helicoide prison. He is the most high profile opposition politician arrested since the presidential crisis began in January. (Deutsche Welle)

House Judiciary Committee holds Barr in contempt of Congress The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s unredacted report and underlying evidence. The committee requested Barr send over an unredacted version of Mueller’s report by Monday, but that deadline came and went without a delivery. Barr was also supposed to testify before the committee last week, but bowed out. Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Monday that Congress has “no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings.” Source: ABC News

Venezuelan National Assembly vice president detained by Maduro forces The Venezuelan government’s secret police have “kidnapped” National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano, opposition leader Juan Guaidó said Wednesday. Ever since an uprising against him failed last week, Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro has been targeting opposition politicians, with at least 10 accused of treason, civil rebellion, and conspiracy. Intelligence agents found Zambrano inside his car, and after he refused to get out, they transported the vehicle to the notorious political prison El Helicoide, The Guardian reports. Guaidó suggested Zambrano was detained in the hopes that this would shatter the opposition-led National Assembly. The U.S. State Department called Zambrano’s detention “illegal and inexcusable,” and said “if he is not freed immediately, there will be consequences.” Source: The Guardian

Facebook co-founder calls for antitrust measures to break up the company Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007, wrote an op-ed on Thursday expressing alarm over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “unchecked power,” and calling for government intervention to break up the company. Hughes argues that Facebook must be separated into multiple companies, with WhatsApp and Instagram becoming separate entities again. Zuckerberg has a “staggering” amount of influence that is both “unprecedented and un-American,” wrote Hughes, saying his “focus on growth led him to sacrifice security and civility for clicks.” Hughes argues that users have no meaningful alternative even if they want to leave Facebook in the wake of the company’s privacy scandals. Zuckerberg himself has backed more government regulation of Facebook, but Hughes says the government must go further. Source: The New York Times

 

Wednesday,  May 8th, 2019

Syrian government forces capture the town of Kafr Nabudah in an ongoing offensive, marking the first major territorial change between government and rebel forces since the start of the demilitarization agreement last year. (Miami Herald)

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, name their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. (CBS News)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sends letters to the P5+1 leaders of the United Kingdom, China, Russia, Germany, France and the European Unionannouncing the country’s partial withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement. Furthermore, Iran announces that it will stop exporting uranium and heavy water from its nuclear program.  (CBS News)

Taiwan passes a law under which Chinese spies would be subject to life imprisonment or even the death penalty. (Mainichi)

President Donald Trump notifies the United States Congress that he will designate Brazil as a Major non-NATO ally in light of recent commitments to increase defense cooperation between both countries. (White House)

Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters. (ABC News)

A man in Los Angeles is arrested after authorities seize more than 1,000 weapons during an ATF raid in his Bel Air mansion. (Fox News)

Voters in South Africa go to the polls to elect new members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. (The New York Times)

 

Tuesday,  May 7th, 2019

The Libyan National Army shoots down a pro-GNA Mirage F1 fighter jet over Tripoli, capturing its pilot, claimed to be Portuguese, though the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs couldn’t confirm his identity. Pictures released by the LNA’s media office show the wounded pilot flanked by LNA officials.  (The Telegraph)

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who originally expected to be in Berlin today, makes an emergency trip to Iraq amid escalating tensions with Iran. Earlier this week, the U.S. deployed a bomber task force and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the region. In today’s meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih, Pompeo reaffirmed the longstanding U.S. policy to ensure nobody interferes in their country. (BBC)

Michael Behenna, an American soldier convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, is pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump and invited to dinner. (NPR)

At least seven people are killed and another 20 injured in a shooting at Pavón Prison near Guatemala City. The injured have been taken to hospital. Security forces have regained control of the facility. (BBC)

The European Union and leading member states such as Belgium, France and Germany, criticize the Turkish government’s decision to re-run Istanbul’s mayoral election, which was won by underdog Ekrem İmamoğlu of the opposition multi-party Nation Alliance. (BBC)

Myanmar President Win Myint pardons two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had been imprisoned at Insein Prison for more than 500 days after being charged with possession of classified documents under the Official Secrets Act. The pair were arrested in December 2017 after they investigated the Inn Din massacre. (Reuters)

Treasury: China tariffs will jump to 25 percent on Friday After President Trump tweeted Sunday that he would increase tariffs on China, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed the revelation in a Monday afternoon announcement. The U.S. will raise tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion in Chinese goods, Lighthizer said, citing an “erosion of commitments by China.” Still, trade negotiations with China will continue on Thursday and Friday, Lighthizer said. The revelation comes as trade negotiations seemed to be going “very well” between the U.S. and China, as Trump put it two days ago. But Lighthizer pivoted and said China was “retreating from commitments that have already been made” in those negotiations, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin doubling down and saying China was trying to “renegotiate” already agreed-upon terms. Source:  CNN

 

Monday,  May 6th, 2019

After a narrow victory of Turkey’s main opposition party CHP against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP in Istanbul’s mayoral election last month, Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council annulled the results and ordered a rerun of the election for the mayor of Istanbul. (The New York Times)

Laurentino Cortizo of the center-left Democratic Revolutionary Party defeats Rómulo Roux of the center-right Democratic Change party in a narrow election to become the next president of Panama. Cortizo receives 33% of the vote to Roux’s 31%, marking the return of the Democratic Revolutionary Party after 10 years out of the presidency. (BBC)

The Attorney General and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) present a new case of corruption involving the current Economy Minister Acisclo Valladares Urruela, the presidential candidate Estuardo Galdámez of the ruling party National Convergence Front and seven deputies. They also request the revocation of the immunity of these politicians to proceed with their arrest. Galdámez is the sixth presidential candidate who has a process for possible acts of corruption. (elPeriódico de Guatemala)

U.S. President Trump awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States, to Tiger Woods for his accomplishments in professional golf and charitable work. (CBS Sports)

The Syrian Arab Army launches a ground offensive against HTS and NFL-held areas in northern Hama and southern Idlib, after six days of intensive airstrikes on the region. (Reuters)

A fuel tanker lorry has overturned and exploded near the airport in Niamey, Niger, killing at least 58 people. (BBC)

Chinese stocks are down, falling more than 5 percent as of midday, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to raise tariffs against Chinese-made goods on Sunday. The current negotiations for a new deal between the two countries, originally planned for Wednesday, are now in question. U.S. stock futures fell sharply as well. (BBC)

Michael Cohen reports to prison for 3-year sentence Michael Cohen reported to the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York, on Monday to begin serving his three-year prison term for violating campaign finance laws and lying to Congress, both done to protect President Trump, for whom Cohen used to work. Cohen, 53, will spend three years without his family or freedom, but it could be worse. Forbes has called Otisville one of “America’s 10 Cushiest Prisons.” Its amenities include tennis courts, horseshoes, and bocce ball. Cohen will be assigned a job, and sleep in a bunk-bed-lined hall. Fellow inmates in the white-collar prison will include Jersey Shore star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland. Source: The Associated Press

Study: 1 million species threatened with extinction More than a million species of plants and animals are in danger of extinction, according to a United Nations report released Monday. The study by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services concluded that the threat is due to humans, with species loss now occurring tens to hundreds of times faster than it has in the past. “Humanity unwittingly is attempting to throttle the living planet and humanity’s own future,” said George Mason University biologist Thomas Lovejoy, a biodiversity expert who was not part of the research team. A key reason for the decline is loss of habitat. The report found that more than half a million species on land “have insufficient habitat for long-term survival” and could disappear within decades without habitat restoration. Source: The Associated Press, IPBES

 

Sunday, May 5th, 2019

Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip fire rockets at Israel, killing two Israeli civilians in Ashkelon and one in Ashdod. Retaliatory Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 23 Palestinians, including a senior Hamas commander. (CNN) (Haartez)

Taliban militants kill 13 and injure 55 people in an attack in Puli Khumri, Afghanistan, using guns and suicide vests. (BBC)

The United States deploys a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East to respond to threats from Iran. A U.S. official told CNN, “… the threats were against both US maritime and land-based forces in the region.” (CNN)

At least 41 passengers are killed after Sukhoi Superjet 100 (flight SU1492), which suffered an inflight fire, is engulfed by fire after an emergency crash landing at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia. A five-person crew and 78 passengers were on board. (Aviation 24) (BBC)

The President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guaidó tells the BBC he is considering formally requesting the United States to launch a military intervention to topple President Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó led a failed military putsch against Maduro last month. (BBC)

Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announces, via a television broadcast, that he has extended the moratorium on capital punishment for gay sex convictions. No executions have been carried out in Brunei since 1957. There has been overwhelming international backlash against a number of the changes affected by the stricter interpretation of Islamic law published on 3 April 2019. The Sultan also said Brunei will ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture. (BBC)

 

 

Saturday,  May 4th, 2019

An attack on forces loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in Sabha, Libya, kills at least nine people. ISIL claims responsibility. (AFP via The Times of India)

North Korea fires several short-range projectiles from the east coast city of Wonsan. (Reuters/AP via ABC Australia)

The Israeli Air Force carries out dozens of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in response to a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas militants. The Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency’s media office in Gaza was among those hit by Israeli missiles, prompting outrage from Turkish officials. (Deutsche Welle)

Four Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on their base in Iraq by Kurdish forces. Twenty PKK members were also killed in the attack. (Reuters)

Vajiralongkorn, King of Thailand since 2016, is officially crowned sovereign. His wife Suthida Tidjai, who he had married only three days prior, is declared Queen consort. (Washington Post)

Interstellar Technologies successfully launches unmanned rocket MOMO-3 from its launch facility in Taiki, Hokkaido, becoming the first commercially developed Japanese rocket to reach the Kármán line. (Deutsche Welle)

In horse racing, Country House wins the 145th Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security is disqualified. The latter horse is the first Kentucky Derby winner ever to have been disqualified for interference. (CBS Sports)

 

 

Friday,  May 3rd, 2019

Sinclair Broadcast Group buys Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion. Disney was ordered by the U.S. Justice Department to sell FSN as part of its purchase of 21st Century Fox last year due to its ownership of ESPN Inc. (The New York Times)

Documents filed in a United States bankruptcy court indicate that the bankrupt utility company Pacific Gas & Electric has not been able to reach a settlement with its creditors over billions of dollars it owes under power purchase contracts. PG&E wants the issue settled by the bankruptcy court rather than by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Reuters)

Alton, Illinois, builds a barrier wall as the Mississippi River rises to levels not seen since the historic 1993 floods. (Chicago Tribune)

The Mississippi River rises to its highest level since the 1993 floods at the Quad Cities in Illinois and Iowa. (Chicago Tribune)

Flooding from Michigan to the south damages homes and sends the Mississippi River to a 157-year high in Davenport, Iowa. (Weather Channel)

The California Senate passes a bill that would keep Donald Trump out of the 2020 presidential primaries until he releases his tax returns. (Associated Press)

The Portland Trail Blazers defeat the Denver Nuggets 140-137 in quadruple overtime, making the game the first quadruple overtime game in the playoffs since 1953. (The Guardian)

 

The End Monday

 

04.08.2019

Media Pot Reporting: Just Don’t Call Us Uncool!
by Ann Coulter

 

Monday,  April 8th, 2019

Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord retake Tripoli International Airport from the Libyan National Army. (Anadolu Agency)

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigns President Trump announced on Twitter Sunday evening that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned. About an hour later, Nielsen confirmed the news in a tweet of her own, saying she submitted her resignation to Trump on Sunday afternoon and felt it was the “honor of a lifetime to serve with the brave men and women” of the department. In a separate tweet, Trump said Kevin McAleenan, the current commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will serve as acting DHS secretary. Nielsen stepped into the role in December 2017, and has become the public face of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including that of detaining undocumented migrant children. Source: Reuters

Beto O’Rourke calls Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘racist’ before Israeli election Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, calling him a “racist” and saying his promise Saturday to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank if he wins re-election Tuesday “will make peace in the long term impossible.” O’Rourke told a town hall at the University of Iowa that he supports a two-state solution, and he criticized Netanyahu for joining forces with “far-right parties who are inherently racist in their speech and the way that they want to treat their fellow human beings in that part of the world.” Later, O’Rourke told reporters Netanyahu is a “racist” and said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has also “not been faithful in pursuing peace.” Source: The Washington Post

 

Sunday, April 7th, 2019

The Government of National Accord in Tripoli formally announces the start of a counteroffensive to reclaim all parts of the capital held by the Libyan National Army. (Al Jazeera)

Russia blocks a United Nations Security Council statement calling on Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to immediately halt the Libyan National Army’s offensive on Tripoli, because it wants the UN statement to also apply to pro-GNA forces, including Islamist militias from Misrata. (South China Morning Post)

The United States Africa Command evacuates a contingent of U.S. troops from Libya due to the unrest. India also withdraws a contingent of peacekeepers from Tripoli. (The Guardian)

Libyan Air Force jets loyal to Khalifa Haftar strike GNA positions in Tripoli for first time since the offensive began, including four airstrikes near the Bab al-Azizia military barracks. (Reuters)

A major power outage occurs in Sudan, leaving almost the entire country without electricity amid ongoing anti-government protests. (Africanews)

U.S. President Donald Trump announces that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving the administration. Customs and Border Protectioncommissioner Kevin McAleenan will serve in her stead until a new secretary is confirmed by Congress. (The Washington Post)

Saturday,  April 6th, 2019

Militias loyal to the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord launch a counterattack on Libyan National Army troops in the southern outskirts of Tripoli. (The Washington Post)

Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar declares a no-fly zone for military aircraft over western Libya, after LNA forces were targeted by airstrikes from GNA warplanes that took off from Misrata Airport. (Al Arabiya)

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor reaches an agreement with Tencent to partner on research and development of self-driving cars. Hyundai plans to roll such cars out commercially by 2030. (Reuters)

Greek riot police clash with hundreds of migrants near the Diavata refugee camp, attempting to enter North Macedonia, after rumours were circulated on social media that the border would be open. (Reuters)

 

Friday,  April 5th, 2019

Libyan National Army troops reach the outskirts of the Libyan capital Tripoli, securing a key military checkpoint known as “Bridge 27”. (AFP)

The LNA captures several more towns in the Tripoli District, including Qasr bin Ghashir, Wadi Rabie and Suq al-Khamis, as well as the town of ‘Aziziya in the Jafara District, to the west of Tripoli. (Reuters)

LNA forces say they have seized control of Tripoli International Airport. (Reuters)

The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy issue a joint statement calling on Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to end the offensive. (Euronews)

The CEO for Boeing, Dennis Muilenburg, apologizes for the loss of lives in the two 737 MAX accidents, recognizing the role that the MCAS system played in the disasters. (Washington Post)

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the source of E. coli O103, that has infected 72 people in five states, has not been identified. Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer in Seattle, notes this O103 outbreak is by far the largest in recent memory. (The Washington Post via MSN.com)

A high-level source within the government of Ecuador tells WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within “hours to days” and that Ecuador’s government already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest. On April 2, 2019, Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno accused WikiLeaks of leaking the INA Papers. The INA Papers are a set of documents published in February 2019 which uncover the operations of INA Investment Corp, an offshore tax haven created by the brother of President Moreno. The trove of emails, phone communications and expense receipts are said to link the president and his family to a series of corrupt and criminal dealings, including money laundering and offshore accounts. The leak has sparked a parliamentary investigation into President Moreno for corruption. (Al-Jazeera)

A small 5-200 kilometer planetesimal, with a similar mineral composition to Earth, is found orbiting in the debris disk of a white dwarf star. This discovery is among the first of its kind and expected to provide insight into the future of our own planetary system. (Astronomy.com)

JAXA space probe Hayabusa2 successfully fires a bullet at Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu, forming a crater which will be used to collect underground samples. (AP)

The End

04.03.2019

Wednesday,  April 3rd, 2019

Populist comedian Volodymyr Zelensky wins the first round of presidential election with 30% of the vote while current President Petro Poroshenko comes in second with 15% of the vote. Since no candidate reached the required 50%+1 threshold, a runoff between these two candidates will be held on on 21 April, 2019. (National News Agency of Ukraine)

Bitcoin price mysteriously soars by 15 percent Bitcoin’s price shot up by 15 percent on Tuesday, briefly surpassing $5,000 for the first time since November. Founder and CEO of the deVere group Nigel Green said “there is a growing sense that Bitcoin is back,” per CNN. But bitcoin is known for being volatile in the market, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause for the spike, CEO Hunter Horsley told CNBC. The surge may have been caused in part by a $100 million order of bitcoin from an unknown private buyer, but experts say even that order is inexplicable. Source:  CNBC

Lori Lightfoot elected Chicago’s first black female mayor Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosector, won Chicago’s mayoral election on Tuesday, becoming the city’s first black female mayor. She defeated Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president and chair of the Cook County Democratic Party. Lightfoot, 56, is the second woman to be elected mayor of Chicago, after Jane Byrne, who served one term from 1979 to 1983. This was her first run for office, and with her win, Chicago is now the largest city in the U.S. to ever elect an openly gay mayor. In September, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he would not seek a third term, and Lightfoot and Preckwinkle beat out 12 other candidates in February’s first-round election. Source: Chicago Tribune

 

 

Tuesday,  April 2nd, 2019

Russia opens a helicopter training facility in Venezuela. Under the plans, Russian state-owned Rostec will train Venezuelan pilots to operate Mi-35Mgunships and transport helicopters. The move comes after the White House warned Moscow against sending troops or military equipment to the country. (Reuters)

According to a criminal complaint filed in a U.S. District Court, a Chinese woman named Yujing Zhang was arrested and charged with making a false statement to the United States Secret Service after illegally entering U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on 30 March 2019 while carrying multiple passports, four mobile phones and a thumb drive containing malware. (BBC)

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns amid pressure from the public and the military, having ruled the country since 1999. (BBC)

The chairman for the Republican Party in North Carolina, Robin Hayes, is charged with bribery and other corruption charges, along with Republican donor Greg Lindberg. (Yahoo)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expels former cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal party caucus. (BBC)

The Nicolás Maduro-aligned Constituent National Assembly formally strips opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó of his immunity from prosecution, potentially paving the way for his arrest. (Brisbane Times)

Protesters strip naked in the public galleries of the House of Commons, pressing their rear ends against the window facing Ministers. (The Guardian)

Measles cases on track for highest annual total since disease was ‘eliminated’ There have been more reported measles cases so far this year than in all of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Monday. The 387 cases reported in 2019 have already surpassed 2018’s total of 372, and has put 2019 on track to break the record set in 2014: 667 cases. The CDC declared measles eliminated thanks to the widespread adoption of vaccines back in 2000. Six outbreaks are currently ongoing throughout the U.S. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Monday,  April 1st, 2019

China announces that it will add fentanyl to a list of regulated narcotic drugs on May 1, 2019 in an effort to curtail its manufacturing. (BBC)

Reiwa (令和) is revealed as the new Japanese Era name set to start on May 1 upon Crown Prince Naruhito’s accession to the Crysanthemum Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. (The Japan Times)

Thirty firefighters die in southwestern China after a forest fire trapped them due to a sudden shift in winds. (BBC)

Two children die and twenty are injured after a dust devil in China lifts an inflatable castle off the ground. (South China Morning Post)

In an election marred by electoral fraud, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party wins with 44% of the vote while Republican People’s Party comes in second with 30% of the vote. Overall, People’s Alliance gets 51% of the vote while Nation Alliance receives 37% of the vote. Voter turnout was 84%. (Anadolu Agency)

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announces that he will resign by April 28, following intense pressure from the Algerian People’s National Armed Forces and ruling party to step down amid anti-government protests, bringing an end to his 20-year rule. (Reuters)

The End

The Moon Landing Was Faked

The Moon Landings: A Giant Hoax for Mankind?
An introduction to the mother of all conspiracy theories
MOON LANDING SKEPTIC • APRIL 1, 2019 • 6,500 WORDS

 

The Walking Dead

The homeless camps around Los Angeles have turned up cases of other medieval-type diseases typical of human settlements before public sanitation became a standard feature of civilized life: Many are spread through feces (as well as drug use): Hepatitis A, Typhus, shigellosis (or trench fever, spread through body lice), and tuberculosis. Gawd knows what is coming across the border into America’s proudly leading “sanctuary state.” Wait for it. Just sayin’.

 

Andrew Yang and the Post-Nationalist Future
by Robert Stark

 

Monday,  April 1st, 2019

American rapper Nipsey Hussle is shot and killed outside a Los Angeles clothing store. Two other people with him were also shot and wounded. (Global News)

Reiwa (令和) is revealed as the new Japanese Era name set to start on May 1 upon Crown Prince Naruhito’s accession to the Crysanthemum Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. (Japan Today)

Japan announces name of new era: ‘Reiwa’ Like his predecessor, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced the name of the new Imperial era by holding up a framed calligraphy parchment revealing the moniker: “Reiwa.” The two characters mean “order” and “harmony,” and replace the current era, “Heisei,” which means “achieving peace.” The new era will begin on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends to the throne, succeeding his father, Emperor Akihito. Akihito was the first abdication in 200 years. Prior to the announcement, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters the goal was to “choose a name that would lead to a new era brimming with hope.” Source: The Japan Times

In an election marred by electoral fraud, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party wins with 44% of the vote while Republican People’s Party comes in second with 30% of the vote. Overall, People’s Alliance gets 51% of the vote while Nation Alliance receives 37% of the vote. Voter turnout was 84%. (Anadolu Agency)

 

 

Sunday, March 31st, 2019

 A plant explosion in the Jiangsu province of China kills seven and injures five others. The explosion is the second deadliest in the month after the 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion. (Reuters)

Severe thunderstorms in Nepal leave at least 25 people dead while more than 400 others are injured. (The Guardian)

Taiwan condemns China after two PLAAF fighter jets pass the maritime line on the Taiwan Strait. Though there was no immediate response from China, the move comes after a week when the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard sent ships through the Strait. (Reuters)

During the 30th Arab League summit held in Tunisia, leaders condemn the United States recognition of the Golan Heights belonging to Israel, and stated the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential for stability. (Reuters)

Three teenage migrants who partook in the hijacking of Elhiblu 1 are charged in Malta. (The New York Times)

Voters in Ukraine go to the polls today in the first round of the presidential election. President Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election, with comedian Volodymyr Zelensky and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko the primary challengers. All three have expressed largely pro-European views. Former Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Boyko is the front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates. A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot, increasing the probability no candidate will win more than 50 percent of the votes. If so, the top two will meet in a second round on 21 April. (BBC)

Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Čaputová of the Progressive Slovakia party wins the second round of Slovakia’s presidential election, defeating the governing party candidate Maroš Šefčovič, 58 percent versus 42%. She will be the country’s first female head of state. (BBC)

Elvis Luciano of the Toronto Blue Jays becomes the first person born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Baseball game. (MLB.com)

 

 

Saturday,  March 30th, 2018

First Vice President of Afghanistan Abdul Rashid Dostum survives an assassination attempt on his convoy while traveling to the Jowzjan Province in Afghanistan. The attack killed one bodyguard and injured two others. (Reuters)

Brunei defends its decision, despite global criticism, to implement laws that can punish homosexuality, adultery and rape with the death penalty, including by stoning, and theft with amputation, as of Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (Reuters)

Pope Francis and Moroccan King Mohammed VI call for the protection of Jerusalem’s multi-religious character, saying the city’s sacred sites must be accessible to worshipers of all faiths. (Reuters)

Pope Francis says the plight of migrants was “a wound that cries out to heaven”. He added, “The issue of migration will never be resolved by raising barriers, fomenting fear of others or denying assistance to those who legitimately aspire to a better life for themselves and their families”. (Reuters)

This month, at least 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) of U.S. farmland were flooded from the bomb cyclone storm that left wide swaths of nine major grain-producing states under water, according to Israel Cleantech Ventures’ Gro Intelligence. (Reuters)

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake strikes northwest of Athens, Greece, near the seaside town of Itea at 1046 GMT. (The Washington Post)

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island, east of Kandrian at 1120 GMT. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump directs the United States Department of State to cease aid for El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. This apparently reverses the regional compact agreement Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen signed on Wednesday with these countries and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s congressional testimony of the same day. (ABC News)

Tunisian authorities acknowledge they are detaining Tunisian national Moncef Kartas, a UN Libyan arms embargo monitor who has diplomatic immunity. Tunisia says Mr. Kartas had traveled in a private capacity on his Tunisian passport. The United Nations has called for his release and for Tunisia to clarify the reason for his arrest. (Reuters)

Thirty men are sentenced in Egypt for planning an attack on a church in Alexandria, with eighteen men receiving life sentences and twelve men receiving between ten to fifteen years in prison. (The New York Times)

Federal Judge Sharon L. Gleason for the District of Alaska rules that President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order allowing oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean and parts of the North Atlantic coast exceeds presidential power because it requires congressional action. (BBC)

Slovak citizens vote for a new president, with front runner Zuzana Čaputová facing Maroš Šefčovič. (BBC)

On the one year anniversary of the Gaza border protests, tens of thousands of Palestinians gather on the border to commemorate the weekly gatherings. Four Palestinian protesters have been killed and more than 300 wounded according to Palestinian health officials. (BBC)

Algerian Army Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah renews his call for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, be declared unfit for office. He also told opponents not to seek to undermine the military. (Reuters)

 

Friday,  March 29th, 2018

UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffers another defeat of 286–344 on her Withdrawal Agreement. European Council President Donald Tusk schedules an emergency summit on April 10, two days before Brexit is scheduled to happen. (CNN)

Algerians protest in the capital of Algiers against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in an effort to make him resign. It is estimated that tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands attended. (BBC)

 

Thursday, March 28th, 2018

The Maltese Navy seizes control of commercial tanker Elhiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants off the coast of Libya yesterday. The tanker is now docked in the Maltese capital, Valletta. (BBC)

WOW air, an Icelandic low-cost airline, ceases operations. (CBC)

Venezuelan state comptroller Elvis Amoroso announces that opposition leader Juan Guaidó is barred from holding public office for 15 years because of irregularities in his financial records. Guaidó, the National Assembly leader, says he will continue his campaign to oust President Nicolás Maduro. (CBS News)

The End Monday

https://www.businessinsider.com/usmc-move-to-integrate-boot-camp-more-ends-future-unclear-2019-3

https://www.businessinsider.com/avocado-shortages-virgin-margaritas-border-shutdown-would-hit-american-palates-2019-4

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiffany-trump-bio-photos-age-history-2019-3

 

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/wokesters-nightmare/

Enron 2019 and Meager Demand

Update on The Trump Witch-Hunt
by James Howard Kunstler

That’s what played on CNN, NBC, and The New York Times yesterday as they struggled to digest the parting meal Robert Mueller served to the RussiaGate lynch mob: a nothingburger with a side of crow-flavored fries. Mr. Mueller was careful, though, to leave a nice red poison cherry on top with his statement that “…while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Mr. Mueller, who ought to know better, could not be more in error on that too-fine-a-point. The official finding that no crime was committed is, ipso facto, an exoneration, and to impute otherwise is a serious breach of his role in this legal melodrama. Prosecutors are expressly forbidden to traffic in defamation, aspersion, and innuendo in the absence of formal charges. So, it will be interesting to hear what Mr. Mueller has to say when Jerrold Nadler reels him into the House Judiciary Committee, as inevitably he will, to do to some ‘splainin.’

 

The cruise ship Viking Sky as it drifts after sending a Mayday signal because of engine failure in windy conditions near Hustadvika, off the west coast of Norway, Saturday March 23, 2019. The Viking Sky is forced to evacuate its estimated 1,300 passengers.

 

Tuesday,  March 26th, 2019

Flash flooding in the southern provinces of Iran kills at least 19 people and injures more than 100. The majority of the deaths occurred in the city of Shiraz. (BBC)

EU parliament approves the latest revision of the controversed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. (The Guardian)

Justice Department asks court to strike down all of ObamaCare In a court filing Monday, the Justice Department shifted its legal position on the Affordable Care Act, asking the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down the entire 2010 law, commonly known as ObamaCare. In December, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas ruled that ObamaCare became effectively unconstitutional when Republicans zeroed-out the individual mandate in their 2017 tax overhaul. “The Department of Justice has determined that the district court’s comprehensive opinion came to the correct conclusion and will support it on appeal,” DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. Previously, President Trump’s Justice Department had argued for scrapping only ObamaCare’s protections for pre-existing conditions. Many legal scholars, including conservatives, doubt O’Connor’s ruling will stand. Source: Bloomberg News, The Washington Post

British lawmakers seize control of Brexit process from May British lawmakers voted Monday night to take control of the parliamentary timetable on Wednesday, giving them the opportunity to vote on several alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The amendment, put forward by a member of May’s Conservative Party, passed 329 to 302. Alternatives to May’s plan include leaving the European Union without a deal, extending the country’s departure, and revoking Article 50 to remain in the EU. Last week, the EU agreed to postpone Brexit, originally set for March 29, until May 22 if British lawmakers agree to May’s twice-rejected withdrawal deal. Otherwise, the EU will extend the delay only to April 12. Earlier Monday, May said she did not have enough support to hold a third vote. Source: Reuters

 

Monday,  March 25th, 2019

The Wall Street Journal reports that former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, released from prison in February after serving 12 years for fraud and insider trading following Enron’s 2001 collapse, is planning a return to the energy business, helming a “digital platform connecting investors to oil and gas projects”. (The Wall Street Journal).

‘meager demand’ and Model 3 ‘delivery issues’ (TSLA)

Attorney Michael Avenatti is arrested and charged with extortion, embezzlement and bank fraud. (CNBC)

Seven people are moderately injured after a rocket attack destroys a home in Mishmeret, Israel. The Israel Defense Forces claim that Hamas is responsible for any attack from Gaza. (BBC)

As a result, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cuts his four-day trip to the United States short after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Reuters)

In retaliation Israeli Air Force jets strike multiple targets in the Gaza Strip, including the office of senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas’ military intelligence headquarters in Gaza City.  (Al Jazeera)

U.S. President Donald Trump signs a proclamation formally recognising the disputed Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory. (Al Jazeera)

Syria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemns Trump’s move as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Syria”. (Xinhuanet)

In Washington, D.C., the leaders of Romania and Honduras announce they will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, following the lead of the United States. (Fox News)

A judge rules that former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr has completed his prison sentence. (CBC) (Vancouver Courier)

Bayer and Johnson & Johnson announce that they have reached a $775 million agreement to settle approximately 25,000 outstanding litigation cases, which claim that their drug Xarelto caused severe and sometimes fatal bleeding episodes. Bayer and Johnson & Johnson had successfully defended the safety of the drug in all six prior cases that went to trial. (The New York Times)

 

Barr says Mueller report reveals no collusion by Trump Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team did not find evidence that President Trump or his associates conspired or coordinated with Russia on Moscow’s 2016 election meddling, “despite multiple offers from Russia-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign,” Attorney General William Barr said in a summary of Mueller’s report made public on Sunday. Barr said that Mueller did not draw conclusions on whether Trump tried to obstruct justice by hindering the investigation. Barr added that he and the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, determined that Mueller’s team did not uncover sufficient evidence to justify charging Trump with obstruction. “The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'” Barr wrote. Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post

Democrats say Barr’s letter ‘raises as many questions as it answers’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement on Sunday that the letter Attorney General William Barr sent to Congress giving his summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report “raises as many questions as it answers.” Because Mueller does not exonerate President Trump “on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice” and Barr is “not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report,” Pelosi and Schumer argue, “Congress requires the full report and the underlying documents so that the committees can proceed with their independent work.” House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) pledged to call Barr to testify before Congress “in the near future.” Source: Rep. Jerry Nadler, The Week

Us has largest box office debut for original horror film Jordan Peele’s sophomore film, the horror flick Us, had a stunning opening weekend, bringing in an estimated $70.3 million in North American ticket sales. The movie, which cost $20 million to make, soared above debut weekend forecasts of $38 to $45 million. Us had not only the largest debut for an original horror movie, but also one of the biggest openings for a live-action original film since Avatar came out in 2009. Peele’s directorial debut, 2017’s Get Out, brought in $33.4 million in its domestic opening weekend. Captain Marvel, having spent the last two weeks at the top of the box office, fell to second place, with $35 million in ticket sales. Source: The Associated Press

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announces retirement New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL Sunday on Instagram, saying he’s “so grateful” for the time he spent on the team. Gronkowski, 29, played nine seasons with the Patriots, and thanked his teammates, fans, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Coach Bill Belichick for their support. Quarterback Tom Brady praised Gronkowski on Instagram, saying it was an “honor and privilege” to play with him. Gronkowski played 115 regular season games, with 521 receptions for 17,861 yards, a record for a tight end. Source: ESPN

 

 

Sunday, March 24th, 2019

 A United States airstrike in Afghanistan early Saturday kills 10 children and 3 adults. The family was displaced because of the conflict according to early findings by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. (Reuters)

The 2019 Global Teacher Prize and its $1 million (£760,000) purse is awarded to Brother Peter Tabichi, a Franciscan science teacher from rural Kenya. Tabichi gives away 80 percent of his salary to support poorer pupils at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani Village, Nakuru. (BBC)

More than 60 school, county, city, child services and law enforcement officials, as well as mental health specialists, teachers and parents, hold an emergency meeting after the suicide of a second Stoneman Douglas survivor. Florida’s emergency chief is requesting the state Legislature provide more mental health resources for the community. Coral Springs, Florida police reported that, Saturday night, a current sophomore killed himself. Last week, Sydney Aiello, a 19-year-old graduate who had recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, took her own life. (The Guardian)

Two Russian military planes, an Ilyushin Il-62 and an Antonov An-124 land at Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas, Venezuela, carrying a senior Defence Ministry official, a large amount of equipment and about 100 troops. Russia, which three months earlier held joint military exercises on Venezuelan soil, condemned foreign powers for backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó versus embattled President Nicolás Maduro. (Reuters) (BBC)

Voters in Thailand head to the polls to elect all 500 members of the House of Representatives. This is the first parliamentary election held in the country since the invalidation of the 2014 Thai general election and the ensuing 2014 Thai coup d’état. (Reuters)

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections does not find that any US officials or Trump campaign members knowingly conspired with the government of Russia. Mueller drew no conclusions about whether Trump illegally obstructed justice. (Reuters)

Attorney General William Barr releases the “principal conclusions” of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in a four-page public letter to the Congress’s Judiciary Committee leadership. (Fox News)  (William Barr letter to congress via The Washington Post)

 

 

Saturday,  March 23rd, 2018

The Syrian Democratic Forces announce the capture of the last territory held by ISIL in Syria. (DW)

At least 134 Fulani herdsmen are killed in an attack on the villages of Ogossagou and Welingara by gunmen in Mali. (Reuters)

In Mogadishu, Somalia, at least five militants set off a car bomb and raid a government building, killing at least five people. Al-Shabaab claim responsibility for the attack. (The New York Times)

Rescuers scramble to rescue about 1,300 passengers and crew from the cruise ship Viking Sky adrift off the coast of Norway. (CNN)

Italy signs $2.8 billion in deals with the Belt and Road Initiative. (Reuters)

Approximately one million Britons assemble for the People’s Vote March in London, United Kingdom advocating for an additional referendum on Brexit. (BBC)

 

 

Friday,  March 22nd, 2018

Officials report the death toll is now 62 from Thursday’s chemical plant explosion in Chenjiagang Industrial Park in northeastern Jiangsu Province, with 94 others seriously injured and 28 people still missing. (BBC)

U.S. President Donald Trump removes sanctions targeting North Korea that were imposed Thursday by the Treasury Department on two Chinese companies. (Fox News)

The Inter-American Development Bank, Latin America’s largest development lender, cancels its scheduled annual 48-country meeting next week following China’s refusal to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to attend what would have been the first IADB meeting held in China. (Reuters)

More than 24 hours after the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detain attorney Roberto Marrero—Juan Guaidó’s chief of staff—there has been no contact with him and lawmakers are denied access to him at El Helicoide. (Tal Cual Digital)

Just hours after Marrero’s detention, the United States Department of the Treasury responds by placing sanctions on BANDES, the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank and four of its subsidiaries. (France 24)

Hundreds of thousands of Algerians again rally, this week in heavy rain and cold weather, against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika demanding his immediate resignation. Bouteflika is fighting for his political survival in the face of unrelenting protests and the desertion of long-time allies. (Reuters)

The End

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https://www.businessinsider.com/jab-holding-reimann-family-nazi-past-donates-millions-2019-3

American Deserters Society

A team of physicists at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, assisted by colleagues in Switzerland and the United States, successfully reversed the direction of time a second into the past using qubits with a quantum computer. (Phys.org) (The Independent)

Frank Cali, the reputed head of the Gambino crime family, is shot dead by an unknown assailant outside his home in Todt Hill, Staten Island, New York City. It is the first targeted killing of a mob boss in New York City since Paul Castellano was assassinated in 1985. (BBC)

 

 Thursday, March 14th,  2018

Prosecutors in Northern Ireland charge a former British Army soldier with murdering two people during the mass shooting at the height of the Troubles in 1972. The man, known only as Soldier F, is also charged with three attempted murders. It is also announced that no other charges against either soldiers or civilians will be brought due to insufficient evidence. Soldiers shot 28 unarmed protestors, 13 of whom died. (BBC)

Eight universities are sued by two Stanford University students in regards to the college admissions bribery scandal. (ABC News)

 

 

House calls for Mueller’s report to be made public in 420-0 vote The House on Thursday voted 420-0 to pass a non-binding resolution calling for the Justice Department to make Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report available to the public. No member of Congress voted against the resolution, though Republican Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), and Thomas Massie (Ky.) voted “present.” The resolution, which needed a simple majority to pass, called for the report to be available to Congress once it’s released, though it remains unclear when Mueller’s investigation into whether President Trump’s campaign was involved with Russian election interference in 2016 will conclude. Source: C-Span

Trump reportedly worried grounding 737 MAX would hurt stock market Before ordering the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX airplanes on Wednesday, President Trump was concerned that the act would cause alarm and hurt the stock market, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed on Sunday just minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, and the United States was the last major country still allowing the planes to fly. Administration and Department of Transportation officials also told the Post that during discussions, Trump said the Boeing 737 “sucked,” and the Boeing 757 — the type of jet he personally owns — is way better. Source: The Washington Post

Former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke from Texas announces he is running for President in the 2020 election. (BBC)

 

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