world news: 2018-08-12

Saturday 18 August 2018

Trump blames D.C. pols for raining on his parade

President Trump on Friday blamed Washington, D.C., lawmakers for ballooning costs that forced the cancellation of his planned military parade.

Remains of wife, two young daughters found in Colorado murder case

The husband and father, Chris Watts, was arrested on suspicion he killed his family.

Socialists Need To Fight For Economic Change -- Not Just Another Version Of Capitalism

"Socialism" has become the new political buzzword. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

Colorado Killings: Bodies of Pregnant Mom Shanann Watts, 2 Kids Found After Dad Chris Watts Allegedly Confesses to Murders

Chris Watts reportedly confessed to killing his wife and two children.

Rights groups condemn Kabul school blast as outrage grows

Rights groups Thursday condemned a suicide blast inside a school that killed dozens of students in Kabul a day earlier, as outrage over the attack grew while tearful families buried loved ones in the war-weary Afghan capital. The attack was just one of the most shocking in a blood-soaked week across Afghanistan that has left security forces and civilians reeling. Two gunmen attacked an intelligence training centre in Kabul Thursday, firing on security forces for several hours before they were killed, police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said, adding that there were no other casualties.

Dems say they'll sue if they don't get Kavanaugh documents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats said Thursday they will file a federal lawsuit next month if government agencies deny their requests for documents from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's days as an aide to President George W. Bush.

Israeli gunfire kills 2 Gaza border protesters: Palestinians

Israel troops on Friday shot dead two Palestinians taking part in protests along the Gaza border, the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave said. The ministry named the dead men as Karim Abu Fatayer, 30, shot near the central Gaza Strip town of Bureij and Sadi Moamer, 26, killed near Rafah, in the south. At least 270 other Palestinians were wounded, 70 of them by gunfire, the ministry said.

Chinese plane slides off Manila airport runway in heavy rain

The aircraft, carrying 157 passengers and eight crew, landed on its second attempt before skidding onto the grass, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio told AFP. Its wings and engines were heavily damaged in the incident, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, which also said the plane circled the airport for an hour before attempting to land. The incident forced a partial shutdown of the Philippines' main airport.

Trump Blasts D.C. Politicians Over Postponed Military Parade

President Donald Trump on Friday protested a decision to postpone his planned

Bayer starts Monsanto integration as stock suffers

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer said Thursday that it would begin integrating seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto after a mega-merger, but its stock price was battered by the US firm's legal woes. Two months after the $63 billion deal -- the biggest ever foreign takeover by a German company -- Bayer completed the sale of a final tranche of crop science businesses worth 5.9 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to rival BASF under concessions imposed by cartel watchdogs. With competition authorities' conditions met, "the integration of Monsanto into the Bayer Group can begin," the Leverkusen-based company said in a statement.

U.N. chief suggests options for improved Palestinian protection

The United Nations General Assembly requested the report in a resolution adopted in June that condemned Israel for excessive force against Palestinian civilians and denounced the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas, but did not mention Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza. The final option could be to send additional U.N. human rights, coordination and political officers to boost monitoring and reporting on the situation and increase the U.N.'s visibility, Guterres said.

Xiamen Air plane skids off Philippine runway, disrupting flights

Thousands of air travelers faced delays on Friday after a Chinese airliner skidded off the runway at the airport in the Philippine capital, disrupting more than 200 flights as authorities struggled to remove the damaged plane. All 157 passengers and eight crew aboard the Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800 were unharmed after the accident late on Thursday, according to the airline and airport officials. The main runway at Manila's international airport would remain closed until 5 a.m. on Saturday (2100 GMT on Friday) to allow for more time to remove the plane, authorities said.

Omarosa Might Have 'As Many As 200' Tapes, NY Times Reports

Omarosa Manigault Newman may have an archive of up to 200 secretly recorded

Colorado Man Allegedly Confesses to Killing Pregnant Wife and 2 Kids

He gave a press conference saying he did not know what happened to them.

Plane skids off rainy Manila runway, rips off engine, wheel

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A plane from China veered off a runway at Manila's airport while landing in a downpour near midnight then got stuck in a muddy field with one engine and wheel ripped off before the 165 people on board scrambled out through an emergency slide, officials said Friday.

Avon fisherman reels in 2nd hammerhead shark in 2 days

A hammerhead shark was reeled in by a fisherman in Avon Thursday afternoon.

Quotation of the Day: Murder Mystery Roils Coptic Church in Egypt

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://ift.tt/2MpaWrU

Judge says Trump campaign screwed up on wording of confidentiality agreements

A Manhattan judge issued a ruling on Thursday that thwarts the Trump campaign’s attempts to keep a lawsuit out of open court.

Bayer presses on with Monsanto integration as stock suffers

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer said Thursday it would finally begin integrating US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto into its business, after meeting competition authorities' final conditions for the merger. Two months after it bought the US firm, "the integration of Monsanto into the Bayer Group can begin," the Leverkusen-based company said. Thursday saw Bayer complete the sale of a final tranche of crop science businesses worth 5.9 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to rival BASF under concessions imposed by cartel watchdogs.

Do not call us Mormons or LDS Church, leaders of faith ask

An online guide accompanying a pronouncement from the church president also asked people to stop referring to followers of the religion as Mormons and not to use the name "LDS" as a shorthand way of describing the faith. "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," church President Russell Nelson said in a statement. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long proclaimed their faith as Christian and fought any association with polygamy, which was practiced by early members of the church before they abandoned it more than 100 years ago.

Student Stabbed During Welcome Back Assembly at Oklahoma High School

Police say a female victim was stabbed multiple times by a male classmate during an assembly at an Oklahoma high school Thursday morning.

Fears over twin of collapsed Genoa bridge in Venezuela

Venezuelans are concerned over the safety of a "twin" viaduct of the collapsed Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy, after a fire on the concrete structure caused a major blackout. Designed by Italian structural engineer Riccardo Morandi, it predates by five years his 1967 bridge in Genoa that collapsed this week causing the death of 39 people.

ISIS Terrorist Killed Iraqi Police Officer Then Came to U.S. as Refugee, Justice Department Says

Omar Ameen was arrested in Sacramento

Trump defends ex-aide Manafort as jury weighs verdict

In remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump again called Mueller's investigation, which had cast a cloud over his presidency, a "rigged witch hunt," but sidestepped a question about whether he would issue a presidential pardon for Manafort. The jurors met for about seven hours on Thursday without reaching a verdict on 18 criminal counts with which Manafort is charged. As president, Trump has the power to pardon Manafort on the federal charges.

Vice President Mike Pence Prays With Mollie Tibbetts' Family During Visit to Iowa

The missing college student hasn't been seen since July 18.

Vietnam activist gets 20 years for 'inciting protests'

An outspoken activist in Vietnam was jailed for 20 years Thursday for allegedly calling for an election boycott and inciting environmental protests in the one-party state that has little tolerance for dissent. The communist country is notorious for jailing its critics but the harsh sentence was the heaviest in years as a hardline administration in charge since 2016 intensifies its crackdown against activists. Le Dinh Luong was convicted for "attempting to overthrow the state" in a half-day trial against the 52-year-old who appeared gaunt and grey-haired in court in central Nghe An province.

The Catholic Church Ignores This Child Sexual Abuse Law

One of the most damning findings from the recent grand jury investigation into

U.S. attorney general issues order to speed up immigrant deportations

Unlike the federal judiciary system, U.S. immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice and the attorney general can intervene. Sessions, a Republican former U.S. Senator appointed by President Donald Trump, has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors.