North Korea slams Japan over its trade spat with Seoul

North Korea's state media has slammed Japan for its recent trade restrictions against Seoul over wartime slavery disputes, accusing Tokyo of "destroying the trend of peace" on the Korean peninsula. After South Korea's high court ordered Japanese firms that used forced labour to compensate Korean victims, Tokyo earlier this month restricted the export of several chemicals to South Korea that are crucial to its world-leading chip and smartphone companies. South Korea's left-leaning President Moon Jae-in, who favours engagement with Pyongyang, has said Tokyo's actions are "politically motivated" and have caused an "unprecedented emergency" for Seoul's export-driven economy.

Immigrants seeking asylum leave home countries because of 'unlivable conditions'

Eitan Pelen, manager of UNICEF USA's Child Migration & Protection, explains why immigrant families seek asylum and why action must be taken to protect them.

Mother wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer has double mastectomy before doctors realise their mistake

A mother who was wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy before the NHS hospital realised its mistake. Sarah Boyle has been left traumatised after doctors at Royal Stoke University Hospital misdiagnosed her with triple negative breast cancer at the end of 2016. The hospital only recognised the error several months later in July 2017, by which time the 28-year-old had already received several rounds of gruelling treatment and major surgery. The mother of two also had to cope with the knowledge that the breast implants may put her at added risk of developing cancer. Her lawyers said the mistake occurred because a biopsy sample was incorrectly recorded. Mrs Boyle has suffered psychological trauma as a result the ordeal and also continues to endure ongoing symptoms caused by the unnecessary treatment. She was initially told that her cancer treatment may harm her fertility. The patient was ultimately able to have a second child, who is now seven months old, but she was unable to breastfeed him due to the treatment. The trust has since admitted liability and apologised to Mrs Boyle, although legal proceedings are continuing. "The past few years have been incredibly difficult for me and my family,” she said. "Being told I had cancer was awful, but then to go through all of the treatment and surgery to then be told it was unnecessary was traumatising. "And while I was delighted when I gave birth to Louis, it was really heartbreaking when I couldn't breastfeed him.” "As if that wasn't bad enough, I am now worried about the possibility of actually developing cancer in the future because of the type of implants I have and I am also worried about complications that I may face because of my chemotherapy.” Mrs Boyle worries her breast implants may increase her future cancer risk Credit: SWNS The case emerged weeks after health chiefs warned that 11,000 patients a year may be dying as a result of NHS blunders. A new strategy was unveiled last month with an aim of saving 1,000 lives a year within five years by ensuring all staff, however, junior, are trained to act if they spot risks. Mrs Boyle was aged 25 when she was misdiagnosed. She was later informed by her treating doctor, Mr Sankaran Narayanan, that her biopsy had been incorrectly reported and that she did not have cancer. Sarah Sharples, from Irwin Mitchell solicitors, which is representing Mrs Boyle, said: "This is a truly shocking case in which a young mother has faced heartbreaking news and a gruelling period of extensive treatment, only to be told that it was not necessary. "The entire experience has had a huge impact on Sarah in many ways. "While we welcome that the NHS Trust has admitted to the clear failings, we are yet to hear if any improvements have been put in place to prevent something like this happening again. "We are also deeply concerned following reports surrounding the type of implants Sarah has, with suspicions over their potential link to a rare form of cancer. A spokesman from the University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust said: “A misdiagnosis of this kind is exceptionally rare and we understand how devastating this has been for Sarah and her family. He added: “Ultimately the misreporting of the biopsy was a human error so as an extra safeguard all invasive cancer diagnoses are now reviewed by a second pathologist.” The trust said it had shared the findings of its investigation with Mrs Boyle.

Trump fumes over Ilhan Omar’s hero's welcome on return home

After claiming he wasn’t happy that his supporters broke into a “send her back” chant at his rally in North Carolina, President Trump on Friday fumed over the media coverage of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s return to Minnesota, where she was greeted by a crowd cheering “welcome home.”

Bernie Sanders defends staff pay after complaints his campaign isn't paying $15 an hour

Bernie Sanders defended his campaign’s compensation package after an article highlighted concerns that staffers weren't receiving the $15-an-hour wage he champions.

Britain warns Iran of 'serious consequences' if British-flagged oil tanker not released

Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker potentially marks a major escalation in tensions between Iran and the West since they began rising in May.

Mueller probe witness now faces child sex trafficking charge

A businessman who served as a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation now faces a charge of child sex trafficking in addition to transporting child pornography. An indictment made public Friday in federal court in Alexandria charges Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, 60, with transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe to Washington, D.C., in February 2000 and engaging in sex acts with him. It details his efforts to serve as liaison between a Russian banker close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of President Donald Trump's transition team.

2020 Vision: Democratic candidates raise funds off 'Send her back' chant at Trump rally

Amid outrage over the chant, Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke and other Democratic groups are using the episode in their fundraising emails.

British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in escalation of Gulf tensions as second ship also veers off course

A British-flagged oil tanker was seized by Iran on Friday night, in a major escalation of tensions along one of the world's most vital oil shipping routes. The Stena Impero had been en route to Saudi Arabia but made an abrupt change of course and began moving towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, according to data relayed by maritime tracking services. The ship “went dark”, meaning its identification system was turned off, at 16:29 UK time and nothing has been heard from her or her 23 crew since. Northern Marine, a Clyde-based subsidiary of the ship's Swedish owner Stena AB, confirmed that a “hostile action” had preceded the vessel's change of course on Friday afternoon. They issued a statement saying it had been “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters.” The ship turned suddenly into Iranian waters Credit: marinetraffic.com/PA Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that they stopped the tanker at the request of the maritime authority in the Iranian province of Hormozgan on suspicion it has "violated international maritime law", but did not elaborate.  There were also concerns about a second oil tanker, the British-operated, Liberian-flagged Mesdar, which turned sharply north towards Iran's coast, about 40 minutes after the Stena Impero's course shift. There was no immediate word from the Guards about the second tanker or from the operator of the second tanker on what had prompted the change in direction along the vital international oil shipping route. Tracking data showed the Stena Impero was in the same area where a United Arab Emirates-based vessel was detained on Sunday and where a British vessel, the British Heritage, was blocked by Iranian forces earlier this month. A Cobra meeting was held between officials from the Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence and other Government departments on Friday night to determine the UK's response. A Whitehall source told the Telegraph of the Stena Impero: "It does look like it has been hijacked. Ships don't follow that pattern. It turned right and straight into Iranian waters. It is really concerning that this has happened. "It looks on the face of it as though the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have boarded and taken a UK-flagged ship. It appears to be linked to events around the Grace 1 tanker." British authorities seized the Iranian Grace 1 supertanker off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. The fate of the tanker has been at the centre of escalating tensions between the UK and Iran and seen as a pawn in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West. Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, had hinted last Saturday that the UK would release the ship if Iran promised its cargo would not go to the Syrian regime. He said talks between him and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif had been productive. However, a court in Gibraltar on Friday extended for 30 days the detention of the vessel, which was carrying two million barrels of oil. Revolutionary Guards have been threatening retaliation for its impounding and the move would likely have aggravated an already-tense situation. Tensions have been building for weeks in the Persian Gulf.  On 10 July, a British warship, the HMS Montrose, intervened to drive three Iranian military vessels that were attempting to divert the British Heritage.  Iran seized a Panama-flagged ship on Sunday, it alleges, for “smuggling oil to foreign countries". However, mystery has surrounded the capture as no country has come forward to claim the ship or its cargo. The vessel, however, was only carrying a very small amount and it had been thought Iran had seized it as merely a show of strength. The US then on Thursday claimed to have downed an Iranian drone that had been flying too close to one of its navy ships.  The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault craft, destroyed the drone after it came within 1,000 yards in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance to the Gulf However, Iran denied the claims and released footage on state TV to proof it was still in possession of the drone. The latest incidents will only increase fears for security along the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost one-fifth of the world's oil passes. Oil prices rose on Friday night in reaction to the news. After one of the worst performing weeks since May, oil started the day firmer but slipped as the US and Iran continued to trade brickbats. The later rise initially still left it well down on the previous week. Oil was down more than 8pc this week overall when markets in London closed.   Iran has threatened to close the Strait if it cannot export its oil. The Trump administration is trying to block Iran's exports as a way to pressure it to renegotiate the landmark 2015 nuclear deal it abandoned last year. The UK, which is understood to have seized the Grace 1 after a request from the US, is trying - alongside the EU - to keep the accord alive, believing it is the best chance to stop Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

US offers $7 mn to find Hezbollah agent wanted for Argentina attack

The United States on Friday offered a $7 million reward to find a Hezbollah operative accused of masterminding a deadly 1994 attack on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, as it vowed to bring together Latin American nations to fight the militant group. The United States also imposed sanctions on the Hezbollah figure, Salman Raouf Salman, in tandem with Argentina's announcement on the 25th anniversary of the attack that it is designating the Lebanese Shiite movement as a terrorist group. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was visiting Argentina to commemorate the attack and lit a candle at the site of the devastated Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, known by its Spanish acronym AMIA.

Trump fumes over Ilhan Omar's 'welcome home' crowd

After claiming he wasn’t happy that his supporters broke into a “send her back” chant at his rally in North Carolina, President Trump on Friday fumed over the media coverage of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s return to Minnesota.

Bernie Sanders campaign reportedly resists unionized staff demands for $15 per hour

Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has pledged that he will raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour if he wins the White House in 2020.

Dems ask whether DOJ memo prevented prosecuting Trump for hush payments

“The Office of the President should not be used as a shield for criminal conduct," Cummings says.

Kentucky host Matt Jones yanked amid speculation he'll challenge Mitch McConnell

Sports radio host Matt Jones is being pulled from his "Hey Kentucky!" anchor job until he makes a decision on running for U.S. Senate in 2020.

Baby's family mad about hospital bills in cut-from-womb case

A Chicago-area hospital says it regrets sending bills to the family of a baby boy who died about seven weeks after attackers cut him from his mother's womb. Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn sent bills for Yovanny Lopez's care that totaled about $300,000, said the family's lawyer, Frank Avila. Some bills even referred to Yovanny as "Figueroa, boy" — the last name of Clarisa Figueroa, who is accused of orchestrating the attack on the baby's mother so that she could claim him as her own.

Britain calls ship seizure 'hostile act' as Iran releases video of capture

Britain on Saturday denounced Iran's seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf as a "hostile act" and rejected Tehran's explanation that it seized the vessel because it had been involved in an accident.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/32F27in

British justice minister says he will resign from cabinet: The Sunday Times

British justice minister David Gauke said he will resign from the cabinet on Wednesday.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2y5m6sd

UPDATE 1-UK's Hunt says Iran may be on "dangerous path" after seizing tanker

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Saturday that he was worried that Iran had taken a "dangerous path" after it seized a British-flagged tanker on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Fars news agency reported that the Stena Impero had been taken to the port of Bander Abbas, which faces the strait, after it said the tanker had been involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing vessel.

Twice-Deported Illegal Alien Charged With Three Murders — Two Were Children

An illegal immigrant from Guatemala, who has twice been deported, was arrested Tuesday in connection to the murders of an Iowa woman and her two children.Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana, 31, was arrested after he allegedly shotthe family with which he lived in Des Moines, Iowa, and called 911 on himself. Orellana is the suspect in the murder of 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez and her two children, Grecia Daniela Alvarado-Flores, 11, and Ever Jose Mejia-Flores, 5, according an Associated Press report.Orellana was deported in both 2010 and 2011, and convicted of illegal entry. He crossed the border around Laredo, Texas, was sentenced to 15 days in jail and ordered not to return — a command by which he did not abide, ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer confirmed with AP. (RELATED: ICE Released List Of Illegal Immigrants Accused of Crimes After Local Police Ignored Detainers)Orellana allegedly killed the family after an argument ensued in their shared home, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He then dialed 911 and allegedly fabricated a story about Rodriguez killing the two children, saying he had to kill her in self-defense, the AP reports.Investigators are uncertain about why the murders occurred, but they did not buy Orellana’s story.

See the 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 Driving on the Road Undisguised

Nearly 150 mn people sweltering through deadly US heat wave

The United States was sweating through a weekend of dangerously hot weather, with major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington experiencing temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). An oppressive heat wave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the Atlantic coast had nearly 150 million people struggling to stay cool amid scorching temperatures. Heat index values -- combining the effect of heat and humidity -- could reach 110 to 115 degrees, particularly in the east, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Iran tanker crisis 'ominous' for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, husband says

The husband of jailed British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said he is worried her future has become “more uncertain and ominous” after Iran’s seizing of a UK tanker in the Gulf. Richard Ratcliffe has expressed concerned for his wife, whom he has not heard from since she was moved on Monday from Tehran’s Evin prison to a psychiatric hospital. Mr Ratcliffe said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, who had recently ended a 15-day hunger strike, has not been allowed contact for almost a week. “We were hoping now it is the start of a new week in Iran that we might at least get access. Nazanin’s dad is going down today again to try,” Mr Ratcliffe told the Telegraph. “I told the Foreign Office yesterday that in my view we should now regard Nazanin as held incommunicado.” He said it was not known what treatment she was receiving or how long she was expected to remain in hospital. At Evin prison, she had been allowed regular phone calls to Mr Ratcliffe and her lawyer. “With the tankers, obviously everything feels rather more uncertain and ominous," he said.  "It reminds me of the very earliest days when she disappeared under IRGC control," he added. "But I have promised myself I will wait a full week before really panicking."   Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose British nationality is not recognised by Tehran, is serving a five-year sentence for espionage, charges she denies. Days before she was transferred, she told relatives: "Three and a bit years later (...) look at me now - I ended up in an asylum. It should be an embarrassment. "Prison is getting harder and harder for me. I hate being played in the middle of a political game. I just hate it." Mr Ratcliffe said he was concerned what the decision by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to move her to hospital meant, as when they were involved "bad stuff happens". It was the powerful Revolutionary Guard which on Friday seized the British-flagged Stena Impero after warning it would retaliate the UK’s “unlawful” impounding of an Iranian ship. Amid statements on the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, tweeted on Saturday that he was “very concerned about this week's transfer of Nazanin to an IRGC (Revolutionary Guard Corp) hospital.  “We'd hoped this meant she was getting medical treatment she needs but the fact that she has been cut off from contact with her family is giving us huge cause for concern.” The Foreign Office has tried to keep separate Mrs Zaghar-Ratcliffe’s case and the military manoeuvrings in the Persian Gulf, but there are concerns they are being linked by the Islamic Republic.

Pittsburgh marks its 4th alligator sighting since May

A baby alligator was found far from the tropics in the parking lot of a grocery store outside Pittsburgh on Friday morning, the fourth alligator discovered near the city since May. An employee found the 2-foot-long (60-centimeter-long) creature near a garbage can at the Giant Eagle grocery store in Shaler, about 10 miles (15 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh. "It looks like a little baby alligator," Shaler Township Police Lt. Dave Banko told the Tribune Review newspaper.

Asylum seekers waiting in Nuevo Laredo fear lurking dangers

The round-faced woman from La Ceiba, Honduras, and her 5- and 12-year-old sons arrived in this city across the border from Laredo, Texas, where she had been promised a job and hoped to build a new life. As the United States tries to slow the flow of mostly Central American migrants and asylum seekers to its southern border and pressures Mexico to assist, months-long stays on the Mexican side of the frontier have become the rule for many. The U.S. government tells its own employees not to set foot in nearly all parts of the state.

A prisoner was 'likely innocent' for 25 years, and prosecutors knew the whole time

Chester Hollman III, 48, was freed Monday from a state prison in Pennsylvania and a formal dismissal of the charges is expected later this month.

Iran makes 'substantial' nuclear offer in return for US lifting sanctions

* Plan would allow enhanced, permanent nuclear inspections * Foreign minister: ‘It’s not about photo ops. We want substance’Mohammad Javad Zarif at the UN on Thursday. He said: ‘If they [the Trump administration] are putting their money where their mouth is, they are going to do it.’ Photograph: Richard Drew/APIran has offered a deal with the US in which it would formally and permanently accept enhanced inspections of its nuclear programme, in return for the permanent lifting of US sanctions.The offer was made by the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on a visit to New York. But it is unlikely to be warmly received by the Trump administration, which is currently demanding Iran make a range of sweeping concessions, including cessation of uranium enrichment and support for proxies and allies in the region.Zarif insisted, however, that his offer was “a substantial move”.“It’s not about photo ops. We are interested in substance,” he told reporters at the Iranian mission to the UN in New York on Thursday. “There are other substantial moves that can be made.”He said: “If they [the Trump administration] are putting their money where their mouth is, they are going to do it. They don’t need a photo op. They don’t need a two-page document with a big signature.”Iran has faced an steadily tightening US-driven oil embargo and severe banking sanctions since May last year, when Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Programme of Action (JCPOA).The embargo has triggered a standoff in the Gulf that has escalated dramatically in recent months:on Thursday, Trump said a US warship, the USS Boxer, had shot down an Iranian drone that had come within a kilometre of the vessel.“The drone was immediately destroyed,” the president said. “This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions by Iran against vessels operating in international waters. The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities, and interests.”Earlier in the day, Iran said it had seized a foreign-owned vessel suspected of being used for oil smuggling out of Iran.Zarif dismissed the seizure as a routine marine policing matter.He said: “It’s not a tanker. It’s a small ship carrying a million litres, not a million barrels, of oil. We do it every other day. These are people who are smuggling our fuel. This is … one of the things that we do in the Persian Gulf, because of the heavy subsidies that we provide for our own fuel products.”Zarif credited Trump with “prudence” for calling off missile attacks last month in reprisal for the downing of a US surveillance drone, and said that gave him confidence that diplomatic progress is possible.He said: “I believe we were few minutes away from a war. Prudence prevailed and we’re not fighting. So that gives reason for us to be optimists. If we work, if we are serious, then we can find a way forward.”> I believe we were few minutes away from a war. Prudence prevailed. So that gives reason for us to be optimists> > Mohammad Javad ZarifIran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has rebuffed overtures for direct talks with Trump, citing US bad faith over the JCPOA, but Zarif signaled on Thursday that Iran was willing to do a deal that did not necessary involve the US returning to the JCPOA, Tehran’s official position until now.Zarif noted that in 2023, under the JCPOA, Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, was supposed to ratify the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a voluntary agreement that allows IAEA inspectors extensive access in Iran to ensure the country does not have a covert nuclear weapons programme. As part of the JCPOA, Iran already observes the Additional Protocol. Ratification by the Majlis would make it a more permanent commitment.At the same time, under the JCPOA, the US Congress was due to lift sanctions on Iran.Zarif proposed that the Iran and US take those steps immediately.“If Trump wants more for more, we can ratify the Additional Protocol and he can lift the sanctions he set,” Zarif said. “He has said that he will take any measure to Congress – fine. Lift the sanctions and you’ll have the Additional Protocol sooner than 2023.”The state department has yet to respond to Zarif’s proposal, but its official position is that Iran has to fulfil a wide-ranging list of 12 conditions, including curtailing its involvement in regional conflicts, in order to win sanctions relief. Iran has rejected those demands.Zarif also denounced the seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil by UK forces in Gibraltar, which said was carried out on behalf of the US.“That’s a violation of international law,” he said.The UK has said the tanker, the Grace 1, would be released if Iran could demonstrate it was not heading for Syria, which is banned by the EU. Zarif said it was not bound for Syria but he could not specify who the customer was, as the buyer would consequently be subject to US sanctions.He said: “We won’t tell you, because if we told you where it was going, next time you wouldn’t be able to sell our oil. We can’t be transparent. We told you it wasn’t going going to Syria – but the rest is none of your business. Because if we told you it would be less one less outlet to buy it to get money to feed our people.”Zarif also shrugged off a report that Senator Rand Paul was seeking to become a secret emissary between Trump and the Iranian leadership, but would not confirm or deny he would be meeting Paul in his capacity as a member of Congress on his current visit to the US.“I don’t deal with [secret] emissaries,” the foreign minister said. He added: “I doubt that anybody will be designated as an emissary by President Trump.”He said the report in Politico that Paul, a libertarian anti-war Republican, could carry out secret talks was “overblown”“This is media stuff. I mean, these may be good for a spy movie,” Zarif said. But he also said: “I’d meet with members of Congress in their own personal capacity as influential members of American society and representatives of American people.”

Police responding to foul odor find woman dead in New York City apartment

Police are investigating the death of a 33-year-old woman found dead with obvious signs of trauma to her body.

Ramush Haradinaj, Kosovo's 'Rambo' ex-PM and Serbian antagonist

Ramush Haradinaj, who resigned as Kosovo's prime minister on Friday, is hailed as a hero at home -- where he is nicknamed "Rambo" -- but considered a war criminal by Belgrade, which has long sought to see him behind bars. The controversial 51-year-old, who was a wartime commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), stepped down after being summoned as a suspect by a war crimes court in the Hague. It is the second time he has resigned after being called before a war crimes court over crimes allegedly committed by the ethnic Albanian KLA separatists during the 1998-99 war.

British defense minister urges Iran to de-escalate Gulf tensions

Britain urged Iran on Wednesday to ease tensions in the Gulf, while pledging to defend its shipping interests in the region. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, asked about a decision to send a third warship to the Gulf, said Britain had always been concerned about defending its interests in the Gulf and elsewhere.

British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in escalation of Gulf tensions as second ship also veers off course

A British-flagged oil tanker was seized by Iran on Friday night, in a major escalation of tensions along one of the world's most vital oil shipping routes. The Stena Impero had been en route to Saudi Arabia but made an abrupt change of course and began moving towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, according to data relayed by maritime tracking services. The ship “went dark”, meaning its identification system was turned off, at 16:29 UK time and nothing has been heard from her or her 23 crew since. Northern Marine, a Clyde-based subsidiary of the ship's Swedish owner Stena AB, confirmed that a “hostile action” had preceded the vessel's change of course on Friday afternoon. They issued a statement saying it had been “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters.” The ship turned suddenly into Iranian waters Credit: marinetraffic.com/PA Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that they stopped the tanker at the request of the maritime authority in the Iranian province of Hormozgan on suspicion it has "violated international maritime law", but did not elaborate.  There were also concerns about a second oil tanker, the British-operated, Liberian-flagged Mesdar, which turned sharply north towards Iran's coast, about 40 minutes after the Stena Impero's course shift. There was no immediate word from the Guards about the second tanker or from the operator of the second tanker on what had prompted the change in direction along the vital international oil shipping route. Tracking data showed the Stena Impero was in the same area where a United Arab Emirates-based vessel was detained on Sunday and where a British vessel, the British Heritage, was blocked by Iranian forces earlier this month. A Cobra meeting was held between officials from the Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence and other Government departments on Friday night to determine the UK's response. A Whitehall source told the Telegraph of the Stena Impero: "It does look like it has been hijacked. Ships don't follow that pattern. It turned right and straight into Iranian waters. It is really concerning that this has happened. "It looks on the face of it as though the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have boarded and taken a UK-flagged ship. It appears to be linked to events around the Grace 1 tanker." British authorities seized the Iranian Grace 1 supertanker off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. The fate of the tanker has been at the centre of escalating tensions between the UK and Iran and seen as a pawn in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West. Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, had hinted last Saturday that the UK would release the ship if Iran promised its cargo would not go to the Syrian regime. He said talks between him and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif had been productive. However, a court in Gibraltar on Friday extended for 30 days the detention of the vessel, which was carrying two million barrels of oil. Revolutionary Guards have been threatening retaliation for its impounding and the move would likely have aggravated an already-tense situation. Tensions have been building for weeks in the Persian Gulf.  On 10 July, a British warship, the HMS Montrose, intervened to drive three Iranian military vessels that were attempting to divert the British Heritage.  Iran seized a Panama-flagged ship on Sunday, it alleges, for “smuggling oil to foreign countries". However, mystery has surrounded the capture as no country has come forward to claim the ship or its cargo. The vessel, however, was only carrying a very small amount and it had been thought Iran had seized it as merely a show of strength. The US then on Thursday claimed to have downed an Iranian drone that had been flying too close to one of its navy ships.  The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault craft, destroyed the drone after it came within 1,000 yards in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance to the Gulf However, Iran denied the claims and released footage on state TV to proof it was still in possession of the drone. The latest incidents will only increase fears for security along the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost one-fifth of the world's oil passes. Oil prices rose on Friday night in reaction to the news. After one of the worst performing weeks since May, oil started the day firmer but slipped as the US and Iran continued to trade brickbats. The later rise initially still left it well down on the previous week. Oil was down more than 8pc this week overall when markets in London closed.   Iran has threatened to close the Strait if it cannot export its oil. The Trump administration is trying to block Iran's exports as a way to pressure it to renegotiate the landmark 2015 nuclear deal it abandoned last year. The UK, which is understood to have seized the Grace 1 after a request from the US, is trying - alongside the EU - to keep the accord alive, believing it is the best chance to stop Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Boris Johnson Faces a Fight for Survival Before He’s Even Won

(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson has not even entered Number 10 Downing Street as Britain’s prime minister and already he is facing a battle to keep the government he hopes to lead alive.If, as expected, Johnson is named Conservative leader on Tuesday and becomes prime minister on Wednesday, he will inherit a country in crisis and a governing party so divided that some members fear it could break apart.The leadership contest, in which Johnson is competing with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has deepened the splits within the party over Brexit. Those tensions are likely to increase as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 31 deadline for leaving the European Union.While Johnson’s allies prepare for a fight, one minister threatened to try to topple the next administration rather than allow the new premier to take Britain out of the EU without a deal.“I hope we never get there, but I think a lot of people were taught that you must put the interests of the country above yourself,” health minister Stephen Hammond told BBC radio on Friday.Hammond said he would be “very cautious” about backing a motion of no confidence in his own party’s administration -- but did not rule it out. If such a motion were passed, it would put Britain on course for a general election.DivisiveJohnson is a divisive character in the U.K. -- and especially among the Conservative ministers and MPs he works with. He served as foreign secretary for two years, where Theresa May regarded him as a destabilizing influence, and some of his former Cabinet colleagues still treat him with deep suspicion.Their main concern is Johnson’s vow to take the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31, even if it means leaving without an agreement.Some ministers, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, are likely to resign or be fired if Johnson takes over as leader. Once they are freed from the requirement to be loyal Cabinet colleagues, they will join a growing army of rebel Tories who are determined to fight to stop a no-deal Brexit.These rebels -- who could include May herself -- will have little to lose from defying Johnson’s orders and might feel few reservations about doing so, given how often he has rebelled over Brexit.No-Deal RevoltIn an interview with France’s Le Monde and Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper published on Friday, Philip Hammond said he would do “everything in my power” to block a no-deal Brexit. He declined to rule out the possibility of voting to bring down a Johnson government if necessary. “I do not exclude anything for the moment,” he said.The first clear sign of the likely revolt came on Thursday when more than 30 Tories defied party orders and helped pass a measure intended to stop the next leader forcing through a no-deal Brexit by suspending Parliament -- something Johnson hasn’t ruled out.In response to the risk of a mutiny from within, some Johnson allies are trying to change Conservative Party rules to shore up his position as leader.Nigel Evans, a Conservative MP on the committee overseeing party leadership elections, said “a discussion” is under way about giving the new leader a one-year grace period before he can be challenged. Under current rules, Tory MPs can trigger a vote of no confidence in the leader immediately -- in theory.Evans, a Johnson supporter, told Sky News there would be “an immense amount of anger” among grassroots party members if MPs tried to overthrow the leader they had just elected.(Updates with Chancellor Hammond’s comment in 11th paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Fox News Host to Geraldo Rivera: I Can Tell You to Go Back to Where You Came From

Defending Donald Trump’s repeated racist taunts at Democratic congresswomen of color, Fox News host Pete Hegseth told correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera on Friday morning that it would be perfectly fine for him to utilize the president’s “go back to where you came from” message on him.A day after Trump sorta disavowed the racist “send her back!” chant his rally crowd launched at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rivera appeared on Fox & Friends and said he was “glad the president has said” he didn’t like the chants. At the same time, Rivera noted that the president’s original tweets targeting the “Squad” tapped into an “old racist trope,” something the longtime Trump pal had criticized the president for days earlier.“Geraldo, but you, like many, have accused him of racism,” Hegseth replied. “But if you go back and look at that tweet, he’s not talking about race, he’s talking about whether or not you love this country and appreciate it. And if you don’t appreciate it and don’t love it, and don’t want to work to make it better, then maybe you could consider going somewhere else. There’s plenty of countries on Earth.”How the Ilhan Omar Marriage Smear Went From Fever Swamp to TrumpRivera, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, shot back at his colleague, yelling “what the hell” before pointing out that all four congresswomen—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Omar—are citizens of the United States. Hegseth, meanwhile, said he would have no problem if someone personally told him he could love it or leave it.“Intolerable—you cannot say that,” Rivera responded.“You could totally say it,” Hegseth, an informal adviser to Trump, asserted.“You can’t say it to me,” Rivera fired back.“Well, I could say it to you,” the Fox & Friends host countered.Rivera went on to recount the number of “street fights” he had in his younger years because he’s Puerto Rican, claiming he routinely heard people telling him to go back to where he came from even though he was born in New York. Hegseth brushed that off while continuing to insist that Trump is not referencing race but instead the lawmakers’ “principles” and “lack of gratitude.”“A lot of people aren’t grateful to be here,” Rivera declared. “Gratitude is not a requirement of citizenship.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Protests continue in Puerto Rico amid calls for governor to resign

Hundreds of pages of online chats between Rossello and members of his administration leaked, revealing the men mocking women, the handicapped and victims of Hurricane Maria.

Philippine police seek sedition charges against VP, Duterte critics

Philippine police have recommended sedition charges against the vice president and other opposition figures, a move slammed Friday as an attempt to stifle dissent under President Rodrigo Duterte. Police allege Vice President Leni Robredo, Catholic Church leaders and opposition politicians plotted to destabilise the Duterte government by implicating him in the narcotics trade. Duterte launched a war against the drug trade when he came into power three years ago.

Mob in India kills three on suspicion of cattle theft, three arrested

A mob on Friday beat to death three men suspected of trying to steal cattle in India's eastern state of Bihar, police said, the latest in a spate of attacks that have provoked alarm among religious minorities. In recent years angry mobs have lynched many people from marginalized groups in India, especially Muslims and the Dalits who occupy the lowest rung of the ancient caste system, often over suspicions of cow slaughter. The three men were caught by some villagers early on Friday while trying to load cattle on a pickup truck, police official Har Kishore Rai said.

Venezuela Political Chaos Deepens With Third Claim to Presidency

(Bloomberg) -- If Venezuelan politics weren’t convoluted enough, they just got a bit more complicated this week.The opposition-aligned Progressive Advance party hired Ari Ben-Menashe, a Montreal-based lobbyist, to “pursue Henri Falcon’s election as President of Venezuela,” according to a contract filed with the U.S. Justice Department.Days after the public filing, Falcon and his advisers are walking back the purpose of the $200,000 contract. An amended document, obtained by Bloomberg News, said their main aim is “to pursue a peaceful solution to Venezuela’s economic, humanitarian and political crisis.” Progressive Advance said in a press release that it was “absurd” to consider a presidential candidacy for Falcon.The former Lara state governor didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.Falcon lost to President Nicolas Maduro in a widely criticized election last May. That led the U.S. and more than 50 governments to recognize National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the nation’s rightful leader this January, when Maduro’s second-term began.The lobbying effort underscores an ongoing rift within Venezuela’s opposition, even as roughly four-fifths of Venezuelans share a negative view of Maduro’s government. Last year, the nation’s main opposition bloc boycotted what it called a sham vote pitting Maduro against Falcon and televangelist Javier Bertucci.In the contract, Progressive Advance said it’s working with Ben-Menashe’s firm to establish contact with Washington and Moscow to seek a solution to the country’s crisis. The party has proposed an oil-for-food program in which Venezuela could export oil to the U.S. and the profits would be used exclusively to buy food for the nation. At the moment, hyperinflation makes it almost impossible for most Venezuelans to buy the food they need.Maduro’s government and opposition officials representing Guaido started negotiations in May, sponsored by Norway, seeking to find a solution to Venezuela’s political and economic crisis. The most recent talks ended Wednesday in Barbados with no deal. Guaido’s representatives pushed for early presidential elections, according to two lawmakers with direct knowledge of the matter.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Vasquez in Caracas Office at avasquez45@bloomberg.net;Ben Bartenstein in New York at bbartenstei3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Julia Leite at jleite3@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

César Pelli, Argentine architect behind the Petronas Towers, dies aged 92

César Pelli, the Argentine designer behind the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, has died aged 92, state media and officials said on Friday, marking the passing of one of the contemporary architectural greats.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2xVW2Qz

U.S. authorizes deployment of troops, resources to Saudi Arabia

The acting U.S. defense secretary has authorized the deployment of U.S. military personnel and resources to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Friday, adding the move would provide "an additional deterrent" in the face of "emergent, credible threats."

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/30LAyCd