- WorldReuters
U.N. concerned by U.S. curbs on Iranian foreign minister while in New York
The United Nations told the United States it is concerned by tight travel restrictions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his visit to New York this week, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said on Monday. Zarif arrived in New York on Sunday after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the visit amid heightened tensions between the two countries. But Zarif is only allowed to travel between the United Nations, the Iranian U.N. mission, the Iranian U.N. ambassador's residence and New York's John F. Kennedy , a U.S. State Department official said.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Teen girl brutally killed before photos of her body posted on social media, New York police say
A 17-year-old with thousands of followers on Instagram was brutally murdered in New York by a man she met online two months ago — and photos of her dead body have been shared on social media by the alleged killer, authorities said. Utica police identified the victim as Bianca Devins. The alleged killer is Brandon Clark, 21, of Bridgewater, New York, police said in a news release Monday evening.
WorldAFPMacron vows to help restart Serbia-Kosovo dialogue
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday vowed to help restart dialogue and reach a long-lasting agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, former war foes who have been locked in a diplomatic spat for months. Visiting Serbia's capital Belgrade, Macron said that he would organise a meeting in the coming weeks with the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel "in order to find a global and sustainable solution". Serbia and its former province still have a bitter relationship two decades after the Kosovo war led to Pristina breaking away and later declaring independence.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Michael Flynn’s Ex-Business Partner Points the Finger at Him in Court
If there is a question of who worked on behalf of the Turkish government to influence the 2016 Donald Trump campaign, then the court should look no further than former national security adviser Michael Flynn, lawyers for Bijan Kian, the Iranian-American businessman and former Flynn partner, told jurors in the Eastern District of Virginia Monday. Kian is charged with two felonies—illegally lobbying on behalf of the Turkish government and conspiring covertly to influence U.S. politics about Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who is now living in Pennsylvania. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Billionaire Tom Steyer's entrance into the 2020 Democratic race is the perfect example of the rot at the core of the US political system
Tom Steyer entered the 2020 Democratic presidential race on Tuesday, pledging to spend $100 million on his campaign. Steyer adds nothing to the 2020 race, but he can stick around because of his wealth. That is a problem and an indictment of the US political system.
- WorldBloomberg
Susan Rice Calls Chinese Diplomat a ‘Racist Disgrace’ on Twitter
Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next. Former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice sparred with a senior Chinese diplomat on Twitter in an unusual and heated dispute over race in Washington. In a series of Tweets apparently aimed at making a broader point about diplomatic divisions over the mass detention of Muslims in China's Xinjiang province, Lijian Zhao, a diplomat posted in Islamabad, said on Sunday that if “you're in Washington, D.C., you know the white never go” to the southeastern part of the U.S. capital.
- NewsINSIDER
Louisiana officials warn of snakes and other creatures fighting to escape Hurricane Barry floodwaters
Gerald Herbert/AP First responders in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana posted a warning on Saturday for areas with Hurricane Barry flooding. "If the area you live in has high water, watch out for snakes and other critters who are trying to escape the flood waters as well," reads the Facebook post from St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1. The message had a collection of images attached, which show snakes on porches and fences.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Bones found after tombs exhumed in hunt for girl who went missing in Vatican City 30 years ago
Thirty years after the disappearance of the 15-year old daughter of a Vatican City employee, a case that has mystified Rome for decades, the Vatican has announced that two sets of bones have been found under a stone manhole cover in one of its cemeteries. A request from the family of the missing girl, Emanuela Orlandi, prompted the Vatican to open the tombs of two 19th-century German princesses in the cemetery of the Pontifical Teutonic College on Thursday this week. The family had received an anonymous tip that Orlandi's remains might be buried in that area of the cemetery.
- WorldAssociated Press
Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly look at developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts in the region. DUTERTE CRITICIZED FOR SHELVING RULING AGAINST CHINA Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte's failure to seek Chinese compliance with an arbitration ruling has resulted in "more unlawful acts of intimidation and bullying in the South China Sea." Justice Antonio Carpio added that Duterte's recent statement that he had a verbal agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that effectively allows Chinese to fish in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone will "substantially diminish the arbitral award...
- PoliticsThe National Interest
Report: A $15 Minimum Wage Would Be an Economic Disaster
Just in time for next week's likely House vote on a federal $15 minimum wage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has come out with a caustic report on the consequences of the policy. The report confirms what even liberal economists caution: A $15 minimum wage would “risk undesirable and unintended consequences” and lead to a survival-of-the-fittest labor market, where only the highest-skilled workers come out on top. The Congressional Budget Office report estimated that a $15 minimum wage would lead to 1.3 million lost jobs by the year 2025, with job losses rising over time due to compounding negative impacts.
PoliticsFOX News VideosGeraldo Rivera on Trump's controversial tweets: It pains me to watch Trump take the low road
Trump embroiled in feud with progressive Democrats following tweet about congresswomen of color; reaction from Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera and Fox News contributor David Webb.
- LifestyleDelish
Prosecco Grapes, Kiwi Pops, and More Easy Fruit Desserts
If there's fruit, it's healthy, right? From Delish
- WorldReuters
Italy seizes air-to-air missile, guns in raids on neo-Nazis
Italian police have seized a large arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile, in raids on neo-Nazi sympathisers, they said on Monday. Elite police forces searched properties across northern Italy following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police statement said. During their raids, police discovered a French-made Matra air-to-air missile that appeared to have once belonged to the Qatar armed forces.
PoliticsAFPNew Zealand PM 'utterly' disagrees with Trump tweets
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday joined international condemnation of US President Donald Trump's xenophobic tweets about progressive Democrat congresswomen. Ardern, the charismatic young leader who has been hailed as "the anti-Trump" by US media, said she proudly celebrated her country's diversity. "Usually I don't get into other people's politics, but it will be clear to most people that I completely and utterly disagree with him," Ardern told Radio New Zealand.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Russia’s Election Hackers Are Back—and Targeting George Soros
The Russian intelligence agency behind 2016's election attacks is training its sights on billionaire financier George Soros, The Daily Beast has learned. The move comes hot on the heels of a surge in U.S.-focused hacking by Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate with similarities to 2016 in targeting and methodology. Laura Silber, chief communications officer for Soros' Open Society Foundations, confirmed the hack attempt, but couldn't provide additional details over the weekend.
- NewsINSIDER
A 31-year-old man died in the Dominican Republic, reportedly after drinking a soda that tasted off
Charles Platiau/Reuters The family of a man who died in the Dominican Republic in March is speaking out about his death for the first time, in the wake of similar American deaths on the island. Tracy Jerome Jester Jr. of Forsyth, Georgia, died in the country on March 17 from "respiratory illness." His mother told the Atlanta-based WSB-TV that he called her the night before he died and made a remark about drinking a soda that tasted off.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Northern California town of Paradise lost 90% of its population after Camp Fire, data shows
The development came the same day lawmakers approved a bill changing how the state pays for wildfire damage caused by utilities. Newsom signed it Friday, approving the creation of a fund of up to $21 billion that could help pay out claims related to blazes sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp, such as through downed power lines. As wildfire season kicks off again, supporters of the bill cited a need to provide financial certainty to the state's investor-owned utilities, including PG&E, which declared bankruptcy amid lawsuits related to wildfires.
- NewsAssociated Press
1 dead, 15 hurt in California home gas explosion
A natural gas explosion destroyed a Southern California home, killed a gas company worker and injured more than a dozen other people Monday, authorities said. The explosion shortly after noon sent up a wall of fire and smoke and rocked nearby homes before the gas was shut off and the fire doused more than an hour later. Photos from the scene showed the home virtually torn apart, with flames burning about 20 feet high.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
An anonymous Democratic group leaked a poll that shows swing voters deeply dislike Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the left wing, widening the party's rift
An anonymous Democratic group leaked an internal poll to Axios on Sunday that shows "swing voters" deeply dislike prominent progressive lawmakers, deepening a public rift within the party. The poll found that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a 22% approval rating and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota had a 9% approval rating among 1,003 "likely general-election voters who are white and have two years or less of college education" and knew of the two outspoken lawmakers. "If all voters hear about is AOC, it could put the [House] majority at risk," a Democrat involved in the 2020 congressional races told Axios.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Boy slips through Heathrow security to board British Airways flight to Los Angeles
Police at Heathrow Airport are investigating how a 12-year-old boy slipped through security and managed to board a British Airways flight to Los Angeles without a ticket or boarding pass. The unaccompanied child, who had no travel documents, mingled with passengers getting on the flight and was only spotted when cabin crew asked to see his boarding pass in order to direct him to his seat. The mystery youngster, who is thought to be Dutch, was not travelling with his parents, and refused to cooperate with cabin crew when he was challenged.
- ScienceThe Independent
Man 'shot polar bear and left its body outside his home for five months'
A man has been charged with killing a polar bear and leaving the body to rot outside his home in Alaska for five months. Christopher Gordon, 35, allegedly shot the animal dead when it ventured into his front yard to try and eat some butchered whale meat. He then failed to report the polar bear carcass or attempt to “harvest” it for food between December 2018 and May this year.
- WorldReuters
South Korea calls Japan reports of North Korea sanctions breach 'grave challenge'
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday Japan's reported accusations that South Korea had exported banned goods to North Korea posed a "grave challenge" amid a growing dispute over Japanese export curbs. Japan has tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea. Japanese officials have cited "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea as a reason behind the curbs, as well as lack of information sharing on export controls.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Trump Aide Kellyanne Conway Skips House Hearing Despite Subpoena
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway won't appear at a House hearing Monday on whether she violated a law prohibiting administration officials from engaging in political work while on the public payroll. President Donald Trump directed her to skip the hearing “in order to protect the prerogatives of the Office of the President,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said in a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings. The Department of Justice, he wrote, “has advised me that Ms. Conway is absolutely immune from compelled congressional testimony with respect to matters related to her service as a senior adviser to the president,” Cipollone wrote.
WorldAFPEU agrees measures against Turkey for Cyprus drilling
The European Union on Monday agreed measures to punish Turkey for pursuing drilling operations off Cyprus despite repeated warnings. The EU will halt high-level dialogue with Turkey, suspend talks over an aviation agreement and cut 145.8 million euros ($164 million) in pre-accession financial funds allocated for 2020. Foreign ministers from the bloc also told the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to keep working on possible financial sanctions targeting those involved in the drilling operations.
- WorldThe National Interest
How a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet Nearly Destroyed a US Frigate
Dario Leone History, Middle East The tale of the USS Stark Incident. Following a series of training flights, on the morning of May 17, 1987 Suzanna's crew received the order to load two Exocets and then transfer to Wanda AB for an operation over the Persian Gulf. All through 1985 and early 1986, director of the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) Intelligence Department, Brigadier-General Mudher al-Farhan, was collecting intelligence about the work of the Iranian tanker-shuttle ('shuttle tankers' were oil tankers equipped with upgrade fire-fighting equipment operated by specially trained crews, they made way in convoys of four ships escorted by warships of the Islamic Republic if Iran Navy).
