world news: 2018-09-02

Saturday 8 September 2018

U.S. has seen evidence of Syria preparing chemical weapons in Idlib: envoy

"I am very sure that we have very, very good grounds to be making these warnings," said Jim Jeffrey, who was named on Aug. 17 as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special adviser on Syria overseeing talks on a political transition in that country. "Any offensive is to us objectionable as a reckless escalation," Jeffrey told a few reporters in his first interview on the situation in Syria since his appointment. "There is lots of evidence that chemical weapons are being prepared." The White House has warned that the United States and its allies would respond "swiftly and vigorously" if government forces used chemical weapons in the widely expected offensive.

Kavanaugh's leaked emails seem to contradict testimony on abortion precedent

Emails leaked to the New York Times appear to show the nominee's view that Roe v. Wade could be undone.

GoFundMe Vows To Give Homeless Vet $400,000 He's Owed From Campaign

Johnny Bobbitt, the homeless veteran who used his last $20 to help a stranded

California wildfire nears interstate highway as families ordered to evacuate

A wildfire has swept through forest land in California, closing a major highway connecting the state with Oregon and forcing the evacuation of dozens of families. The Delta Fire has charred nearly eight square miles (about 21 square kilometres) of brush and timber in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which lies in a canyon along the Sacramento River. Fire officials said the fire was caused by humans, but did not indicate whether it was arson or an accident.

'Lots of Evidence' That Syria Is Preparing Chemical Weapons in Idlib, U.S. Advisor Warns

Special advisor Jim Jeffrey said there is "lots of evidence" of chemical weapons

37,000 Women Sign Letter Calling on Pope Francis to Answer Questions About Abuse

A letter signed by thousands of Catholic women have signed a letter urging Pope Francis to answer questions about allegations he ignored claims of sexual abuse in the church.

Hundreds flee as Syria, Russia hit rebel stronghold Idlib

Hundreds of Syrian civilians fled Idlib province on Thursday as the presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey readied for last-ditch talks on the fate of the last rebel bastion. Government forces and their allies have been massing around Idlib, where aid groups fear what could be the last major battle of Syria's seven-year civil war may also prove its deadliest. Sporadic bombardment has targeted armed groups on Idlib's fringes in recent days, and on Thursday families began streaming out of their battered hometowns to seek safety elsewhere.

Trump Speculates About His Impeachment During Rally: 'If It Does Happen, It's Your Fault'

President Donald Trump went on a bizarre tangent during a rally Thursday night

Dementia risk doubles right after a stroke

While stroke has long been linked to a heightened risk of dementia, particularly in older adults, the exact magnitude of the increased risk hasn't been consistent across previous studies investigating this connection. People who had a recent stroke were 2.2 times more likely to develop dementia than people who never had a stroke, the analysis found. "These findings stress the importance of protecting the blood supply to the brain in order to protect against dementia," said senior study author Dr. David Llewellyn of the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK.

Couple Who Allegedly Spent Money Raised for Homeless Man Lose New BMW in Police Raid

Johnny Bobbitt's lawyer has said that all the money is gone.

Immigration rulings raise questions about Kavanaugh's commitment to precedent

Brett Kavanaugh has said repeatedly that he respects “precedent," but some Democrats are wary of what they suspect is his willingness to disregard past opinions.

Shooting At Cincinnati Bank Leaves 4 Dead, 5 Wounded

Four people are dead and five others wounded following a shooting at a bank in

The Latest: 9 dead, 30 missing in northern Japan quake

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — The Latest on the powerful earthquake in northern Japan (all times local):

Passengers arriving from France and Germany report flu-like symptoms at Philadelphia airport

Several sick passengers at the Philadelphia airport prompted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to hold 250 people for medical examination. The passengers were on American Airlines flights arriving from Paris and Munich and reported flu-like symptoms like coughing, fever, or vomiting akin to the passengers on an Emirates flight at JFK International airport in New York just one day before. Airport spokesperson Diane Gerace said in a statement: "As a precaution, all passengers on the two flights—totaling about 250 plus crew—were held for a medical review and the CDC was notified.

Russia, Turkey, Iran fail to agree on ceasefire for Syria's Idlib

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani, meeting in Tehran for a summit of key foreign players in Syria's war, agreed in a final statement that there could be no military solution to the conflict and it could only end through a negotiated political process. The Turkish leader said he feared a massacre and Turkey could not accommodate any more refugees flooding over its border.

'Final' Canada trade issues unresolved as talks push on

U.S. and Canadian negotiators push ahead in grinding talks to rescue the North American Free Trade Agreement but a few stubborn issues stand in the way of a deal. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland tells reporters "we are making good progress." No reporter narration.

California takes financial wallop from unrelenting wildfires

SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. (AP) — California is taking a financial wallop from unrelenting wildfires that have drained its firefighting budget and prompted nearly $1 billion in property claims even before the start of the dangerous fall fire season, officials said Thursday.

California wildfire devastates 34 square miles of land

The Delta Fire in northern California near the Oregon border has burned more than 34 square miles of timber and brush and prompted evacuation orders for scattered homes and buildings in three counties in and around the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. At times, flames shot up 300 feet high. The main West Coast highway between Mexico and Canada was a ghost road Friday morning along a 45-mile northern stretch that remained closed since the fire two days earlier swept down and turned hills on either side into walls of flame. Crews managed to remove the burned and abandoned trucks on Thursday but flames continued to burn along an edge of the road in some areas, fire spokesman Brandon Vacarro said. A decision was expected Friday on whether to reopen the highway but first authorities had to check the safety of the pavement and cut down burned trees next to the road - some of them 70 feet tall - that might be in danger of falling down. Although the fire wasn't burning near any large towns, Vacarro said about 280 homes were considered threatened. There were some reports that homes had burned but Vacarro could only confirm that an outbuilding and two mixed-use commercial and residential buildings had been damaged. Video block text

Northern California wildfire threatens homes, closes major highway

The Delta fire erupted on Wednesday in a canyon along the Sacramento River about 250 miles north of San Francisco and by Thursday morning had scorched more than 15,000 acres, triple the area that had burned some 12 hours earlier. The blaze was near where the deadly Carr fire incinerated hundreds of dwellings in and around the town of Redding this summer. No casualties have been reported from the Delta fire but there were some close calls.

Iran summit holds key to looming battle in Syria's Idlib

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey will meet Friday in Tehran to discuss the war in Syria, with all eyes on a possible military offensive to retake the last rebel-held bastion of Idlib.

Donald Trump Jr. Tweaks Colin Kaepernick's Nike Ad To Feature President

Donald Trump Jr. "fixed" the recent Nike advertisement campaign featuring

They Killed Their Abusive Husbands. Their Acquittals Shocked Russia.

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR from NYT World https://ift.tt/2wVvgXh

Masahiro Tanaka Stifles the Mariners for a Yankees Victory

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2Ny8I9L

California wildfire nears interstate highway as families ordered to evacuate

Former Trump administration staffer talks anonymous op-ed

Fmr. Trump administration homeland security adviser Tom Bossert says the executive branch staffer who wrote an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times should "quit or identify themselves, or both."

Mike Pence Slams Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed As Jokers Squeeze Last Yuks From 'Lodestar'

Mike Pence is condemning The New York Times' anti-Donald Trump op-ed, which

Brett Kavanaugh Referred to Contraception as 'Abortion-Inducing Drugs' During Confirmation Hearing

"Was this a substantial burden on their religious exercise? And it seemed to me, quite clearly, it was”

Vietnam places orders for Russian weapons worth over $1 billion: TASS

Vietnam has placed orders for Russian weapons and military services worth more than $1 billion, Russia's TASS news agency has reported, as the Southeast Asian country bolsters its defense capability.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2Mbrf6G

U.S. sends Iran messages 'every day' to begin negotiations: Iran president

The United States constantly sends messages to Iran to begin negotiations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday in a speech broadcast on state television.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2Qekwfu

John Kelly’s vigilante White House

Trump’s aides say it’s their duty to protect the president from himself, even if that means stealing papers off his desk.

18-Year-Old Plunges to His Death While Taking Selfie at Yosemite National Park

Officials ruled his death an accident.

Nail biting habit allegedly causes skin cancer

A 20-year-old Australian woman has to have her thumb amputated after her nail biting habit causes a rare form of skin cancer.

Tesla shares reel as executives quit and CEO smokes pot on webcast

Shares of the electric carmaker tumbled more than 6 percent on Friday to $263.24, with investors on edge after a tumultuous August during which Musk proposed and then abruptly pulled the plug on a go-private deal. Chief Accounting Officer Dave Morton resigned after just one month in the job because of discomfort with the attention on the company and pace of work during that time, Tesla said in a filing on Friday. Later on Friday, Tesla named a new president of automotive operations, promoting eight-year Tesla employee and former Daimler truck exec Jerome Guillen into the role overseeing all automotive operations and reporting to Musk.

New wildfire rips through northern California

A new wildfire was raging in northern California on Friday, having already devastated almost 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) in just two days and continuing to spread. Dubbed the Delta Fire, the blaze was the latest outbreak to hit the region this summer, and was said by officials to have been triggered by arson. The fire was initially reported in the Lakehead area, 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of the state capital Sacramento and at the heart of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest around midday on Wednesday.

Off-Duty Texas Cop Enters Wrong Apartment, Kills Man Inside: Police

A Dallas police officer who entered the wrong apartment, having allegedly

Japan's Kansai airport to reopen partially after typhoon damage

"Domestic flights in the Kansai international airport will resume tomorrow, and international flights are set to resume operation as soon as preparation work is done," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said. The airport, in Japan's western Osaka region, was battered by typhoon Jebi, which made landfall Tuesday as the strongest storm to hit Japan since 1993. Airport CEO Yoshiyuki Yamaya said Thursday that virtually all those stranded had now been evacuated and work was ongoing to resume normal operation.

Kavanaugh’s views on affirmative action draw scrutiny

Brett Kavanaugh's views on race and equality have become a major focus of his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

The Latest: Syria says it's committed to 'liberate' Idlib

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on Syria talks in Iran (all times local):

The Phone Call To The New York Times That Sarah Huckabee Sanders Will Absolutely Hate

Sarah Huckabee Sanders urged people to call The New York Times' opinion desk

Can the pope's accusers force him to resign?

In 2013, Francis's predecessor, Benedict, became the first pontiff in six centuries to resign. Benedict, then 85, abdicated because he said he no longer had the strength to run the Church. HOW DID THE VATICAN AND THE POPE GET TO THIS POINT?

Court scraps multi-billion-dollar Ecuador damages against Chevron

An appeals court in The Hague cancelled $9.5 billion in damages handed down by an Ecuadoran court against American energy giant Chevron for causing oil pollution in the Amazon jungle, Ecuador's public prosecutor said Friday. The original ruling dates back to 2011 and was twice upheld on appeal in Ecuador, but Chevron took its protest to The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration, claiming it had already been exonerated of any wrongdoing.