Monday, July 31, 2017
How Kelly could really end White House chaos
Kremlin says up to Washington to decide which embassy staff to cut
Van plows into diners on Los Angeles sidewalk
The driver of a van that plowed into a group of people dining on a Los Angeles sidewalk, striking and injuring at least eight people, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of hit-and-run, authorities said. The vehicle knocked down a white picket fence that served as a barrier between diners and pedestrians on the sidewalk. “Everyone was eating, enjoying life and out of nowhere this van ran them over,” Courtney Crump said.
Who is Charlie Gard, what is the disease he suffered from and what happened in the court case?
It has been a heartbreaking legal battle that has captured international attention and drawn offers of support from Donald Trump and the Pope. Now, Charlie Gard has died after his life-support was withdrawn soon after he was moved to a hospice, denying his parents their "final wish" for him to spend his final hours at home. The little boy's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, had asked for more time with their son after he was transferred from Great Ormond Street Hospital, but High Court judge Mr Justice Francis said doctors could stop providing treatment shortly after 11-month-old arrived at the hospice. Here is everything you need to know about the case. Who is Charlie Gard? Charlie is a 10-month old patient in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. On August 4, 2016, he was born a "perfectly healthy" baby at full term and at a "healthy weight". After about a month, however, Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, noticed that he was less able to lift his head and support himself than other babies of a similar age. Chris Gard and Connie Yates with their son Charlie Credit: PA Doctors discovered he had a rare inherited disease - infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS). The condition causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. In October, after he had became lethargic and his breathing shallow, he was transferred to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. Why was there a legal fight? Charlie's parents wanted to take him to see specialists in the USA, who had offered an experimental therapy called nucleoside. A crowdfunding page was set up in January to help finance the therapy. Ribbons and hearts tied to trees outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London by well wishers backing a campaign to allow terminally ill baby Charlie Gard to be treated in America Credit: PA But doctors at GOSH concluded that the experimental treatment, which is not designed to be curative, would not improve Charlie’s quality of life. When parents do not agree about a child’s future treatment, it is standard legal process to ask the courts to make a decision. This is what happened in Charlie’s case. What were the stages of the legal battle? March 3: Great Ormond Street bosses asked Mr Justice Francis to rule that life support treatment should stop. The judge was told that Charlie could only breathe through a ventilator and was fed through a tube. April 11: Mr Justice Francis said doctors could stop providing life-support treatment after analysing the case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London He concluded that life-support treatment should end and said a move to a palliative care regime would be in Charlie's best interests. Connie Yates leaves the Supreme Court after a panel of three Supreme Court justices on dismissed the couple's latest challenge Credit: PA May 3: Charlie's parents then asked Court of Appeal judges to consider the case. May 23: After analysing the case, three Court of Appeal judges dismissed the couple's appeal two days later. June 8: Charlie's parents then lost their fight in the Supreme Court. Charlie's mother broke down in tears and screamed as justices announced their decision and was led from the court by lawyers. Chris Gard leaves the Supreme Court after it ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street Hospital Credit: PA June 20: Judges in the European Court of Human Rights started to analyse the case after lawyers representing Charlie's parents make written submissions. A European Court of Human Rights spokeswoman said the case would get "priority". "In light of the exceptional circumstances of this case, the court has already accorded it priority and will treat the application with the utmost urgency," she added. Supporters outside the Supreme Court Credit: PA June 27: On Tuesday, European court judges refused to intervene. A Great Ormond Street spokeswoman said the European Court decision marked "the end" of a "difficult process". She said there would be "no rush" to change Charlie's care and said there would be "careful planning and discussion". July 10: Charlie's parents return to the High Court and ask Mr Justice Francis to carry out a fresh analysis of the case. Mr Justice Francis gives them less than 48 hours to prove an experimental treatment works. July 24: Charlie's parents withdraw their request to change the original court order. The baby will have his life support switched off in the next few days. Why was the case back in court? Charlie inherited the faulty RRM2B gene from his parents, affecting the cells responsible for energy production and respiration and leaving him unable to move or breathe without a ventilator. GOSH describes experimental nucleoside therapies as "unjustified" and the treatment is not a cure. The hospital's decision to go back into the courtroom came after two international healthcare facilities and their researchers contacted them to say they have "fresh evidence about their proposed experimental treatment". Charlie's parents have now decided to end their legal battle. Grant Armstrong, the parents lawyer, told the court: "for Charlie it is too late." What did Charlie's parents argue? Richard Gordon QC, who led Charlie's parents' legal team, had told Court of Appeal judges that the case raised "very serious legal issues". Mum of Charlie Gard says five doctors support her 01:33 "They wish to exhaust all possible options," Mr Gordon said in a written outline of Charlie's parents' case. "They don't want to look back and think 'what if?'. This court should not stand in the way of their only remaining hope." Mr Gordon suggested that Charlie might be being unlawfully detained and denied his right to liberty. He said judges should not interfere with parents' exercise of parental rights. Lawyers, who represented Charlie's parents for free, said Mr Justice Francis had not given enough weight to Charlie's human right to life. They said there was no risk the proposed therapy in the US would cause Charlie "significant harm". However, Miss Yates and Mr Gard have now acknowledged that the therapy could not help their son get better. Their lawyer, Grant Armstrong, told the court that the delay in offering treatment to Charlie had meant he had no prospect of getting better. Mr Armstrong said damage to Charlie's muscle and tissue was irreversible. "The parents' worst fears have been confirmed," he said "It is now too late to treat Charlie." Ethics professor: If Charlie Gard was my child I would let him die peacefully 01:22 What did GOSH argue? Katie Gollop QC, who led Great Ormond Street's legal team, suggested that further treatment would leave Charlie in a "condition of existence". She said therapy proposed in the USA was "experimental" and would not help Charlie. "There is significant harm if what the parents want for Charlie comes into effect," she told appeal judges. "The significant harm is a condition of existence which is offering the child no benefit." She added: "It is inhuman to permit that condition to continue." A banner hung on railings outside Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London Credit: PA Ms Gollop said nobody knew whether Charlie was in pain. "Nobody knows because it is so very difficult because of the ravages of Charlie's condition," she said. "He cannot see, he cannot hear, he cannot make a noise, he cannot move." Interventions from Trump and the Vatican While Ms Yates and Mr Gard said they have been boosted by support from US President Donald Trump and the Vatican, a leading expert has described interventions from high-profile figures as "unhelpful". Professor Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said in an open letter that Charlie's situation is "heartbreaking" for his parents, and "difficult" for others including medical staff, but added that even well-meaning interventions from outsiders can be unhelpful. If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017 The interest of the Pope and Mr Trump in Charlie's case has "saved his life so far", his mother has said. Ms Yates told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on July 10: "Yeah, they have saved his life so far. It turned it into an international issue. "There are a lot of people that are outraged by what is going on. We have got new evidence now so I hope the judge changes his mind." Timeline | Charlie Gard case She said that "sometimes parents are right in what they think" and it is not simply that they do not want to switch off life support. She said the family had seven specialist doctors - two from the US, two from Italy, one from England and two from Spain - supporting them. She added: "We expect that structural damage is irreversible, but I have yet to see something which tells me my son has irreversible structural brain damage." The parents have now acknowledged that the therapy they were seeking could not help their son get better. Their lawyer said the couple felt that continuing their fight would cause Charlie pain.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Ex-NASA agent fears gold lunar module will be melted down
CLEVELAND (AP) — Whoever broke into an Ohio museum and stole a solid-gold replica of the Apollo 11 lunar module likely intends to melt it down for the value of the gold instead of trying to sell what could be a collectible worth millions of dollars, said a retired NASA agent who has helped recover stolen moon rocks worth millions of dollars.
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — While North Korea's second launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile dominated headlines late last week, Pyongyang quietly unveiled renovations around the capital's biggest landmark: a futuristic, pyramid-shaped 105-story hotel, the world's tallest unoccupied building.
Suspect in killing of Navajo girl expected to change plea
Four Arab countries say they are ready for Qatar dialogue with conditions
The four Arab countries that have cut ties with Qatar said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands. The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates met in the Bahraini capital, Manama, to discuss the crisis that has raised tensions across the region. The Saudi-led bloc cut ties with the Gulf state on June 5, accusing it of backing militant groups and cosying up to their arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies.
Venezuela vote triggers deadly 'war' in the streets
A controversial vote in Venezuela on Sunday championed by beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro sparked an escalation of deadly violence, with half a dozen people reported killed and troops and protesters attacking each other in Caracas and elsewhere. "This is war!" Caracas resident Conchita Ramirez exclaimed on television as she described troops firing at buildings and people in the capital. The fiery unrest confirmed fears over the vote for a new "Constituent Assembly" called by Maduro in defiance of months of demonstrations and fierce international criticism.
By Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The death toll from fighting on Sunday between al Shabaab fighters and Somalia government and African Union peacekeeping troop stands at 24, a senior regional official said. The fighting broke out when the al Shabaab fighters ambushed the troops early Sunday in the Bulamareer district of the Lower Shabelle region, about 140 kilometres (84 miles) southwest of Mogadishu. "We have carried 23 dead AMISOM soldiers and a dead Somali soldier from the scene where al Shabaab ambushed AMISOM today," Ali Nur, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told Reuters. ...
Nearly 150 Central Americans being smuggled to the United States were rescued Saturday in Mexico after traveling tightly packed in a poorly ventilated truck. The rescue was initially described by authorities in eastern Veracruz state as a near-tragedy with chilling similarities to an incident last week in Texas in which 10 would-be migrants to the US perished. Authorities said a total of 147 people were found in the town of Tantima in Mexico's Veracruz state.
This article, How To Meal Prep On A Budget, originally appeared on Chowhound. Tired of circling the Whole Foods hot bar on your lunch break? More importantly, isn’t your wallet tired? There’s only one way to solve this first world problem and it’s made up of two words: meal prep.Yes, meal prepping can be very daunting, but once it’s done and you have the rest of your Sunday to chill out, you’re going to be happy you did it. Not to mention all of the money you will save on food during the week. ...
Candidate killed as violence erupts in Venezuela vote
Deadly violence erupted around a controversial vote held in Venezuela on Sunday, with a candidate to the all-powerful assembly being elected shot dead and troops firing weapons to clear protesters in Caracas and elsewhere. The unrest highlighted the tensions over the vote called by beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro in defiance of months of demonstrations and fierce international criticism. A candidate for the new body in Venezuela's southeastern town of Ciudad Bolivar, 39-year-old lawyer Jose Felix Pineda, was killed from multiple shots fired by assailants who broke into his home overnight, prosecutors said.
Four Arab countries say ready for Qatar dialogue with conditions
The four Arab countries which have cut ties with Qatar said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met in the Bahraini capital Manama to discuss the crisis that has raised tensions across the region. Diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait and backed by Western powers have failed to end the dispute, in which the four states have severed travel and communications with Qatar. "The four countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar with the condition that it announces its sincere willingness to stop funding terrorism and extremism and its commitment to not interfere in other countries' foreign affairs and respond to the 13 demands," Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, told a joint news conference after the meeting.
Bangladesh police have arrested four men over the rape of a teenager whose head was shaved as punishment by the accused's wife in a case that has shocked the conservative country, an official said Sunday. Police detained the four men including Tufan Sarker, a unionist linked to the ruling Awami League party, after pictures of the victim and her mother at hospital with shaved heads caused outrage. A manhunt is still underway for Sarker's wife Asha Khatun, who is accused of dragging the teenager and her mother to their home, beating them and forcibly shaving their heads.
China's Xi urges need for 'world-class' army loyal to Party
Chinese President Xi Jinping touted the need to build a "world-class" army capable of "defeating all invading enemies" at a military parade held Sunday to mark the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Since coming to power in 2012, the president has trumpeted building a stronger, combat-ready army, while leading efforts to centralise the ruling Communist Party's control over the PLA, the world's largest standing military.
Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration may be emboldening the transnational street gang MS-13, which the President has vowed to “dismantle, decimate and eradicate”. While addressing law enforcement officials on Long Island, New York, the President asserted that previous weak immigration enforcement has allowed the gang to terrorise communities. “And they were all let in here over a relatively short period of time,” Mr Trump said.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Newborn Twins and Daughter Orphaned After Mother Dies the Same Day as Their Father’s Funeral
A man armed with a machete attacked the country home of Kenya's deputy president and injured a guard before holing himself up in an outbuilding, police said on Saturday, 10 days before presidential and legislative elections. Deputy President William Ruto was out with his family at the time of the attack in the western town of Eldoret. Ruto is the running mate of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second and final term in office in the Aug. 8 elections.
Donald Trump appears to have threatened members of Congress after Republicans failed to deliver on one of his key campaign promises to repeal and replace Obamacare. The Senate's Republican leadership suffered a colossal defeat earlier this week when a majority of senators, including members of their own party, rejected multiple proposals aimed at dismantling the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Observers have suggested that Mr Trump in the second part of his tweet asserted he will eliminate subsidised health insurance for members of Congress unless they pass a healthcare bill quickly.
Tesla's Musk hands over first Model 3 electric cars to early buyers
By Alexandria Sage FREMONT, Calif. (Reuters) - Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Friday the Model 3 had over half a million advance reservations as he handed over the first 30 to employee buyers, setting the stage for the biggest test yet of the company's strategy to become a profitable, mass market electric car maker. Outside Tesla's Fremont, California factory, Musk showed off the $35,000 base vehicle with a range of 220 miles (350 km) on a charge that marks a departure from the company's earlier luxury electric cars. Musk took to the stage driving a red Model 3, and said Tesla has produced 50 of the vehicles so far, including 20 for testing purposes.
At least 69 people died in a Boko Haram ambush of an oil exploration team in northeast Nigeria, as three men kidnapped by the jihadists made a video appeal. Experts said the attack -- Boko Haram's bloodiest this year -- underscored the persistent threat it poses, despite government claims the group is a spent force. "So far the death toll stands at 69," said an aid agency worker involved in the recovery of bodies after the attack in the Magumeri area of Borno state on Tuesday.
Iran rules out halt to missile tests as tension with US rises
A defiant Iran vowed on Saturday to press ahead with its missile programme and condemned new US sanctions, as tensions rise after the West hardened its tone against the Islamic republic. In the latest incident, Tehran and Washington accused each other's naval forces of provocative manoeuvres in the Gulf that culminated in a US helicopter firing warning flares. The US Navy said it had reacted to unresponsive vessels belonging to the Revolutionary Guards closing in on American ships at high speed, a charge denied by Iran which described the American move as unprovoked.
A 26-year-old migrant to Germany who was supposed to leave the country went on a stabbing spree with a kitchen knife in a Hamburg supermarket on Friday, killing a 50-year-old man and leaving six others injured, police and city officials said. Germany is less than two months away from parliamentary elections on Sept. 24 in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to win a fourth term despite tensions about her decision in August 2015 to open the door to over one million migrants. Passersby threw chairs and other objects at the attacker as he fled the scene, enabling plain clothes police officers to take him into custody near the store, according to police and videos posted on Twitter.
Venezuelan opposition in final protest push ahead of Sunday vote
By Hugh Bronstein CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition sympathizers braved tear gas and rainstorms on Friday, blocking streets in protest against a legislative super-body to be elected on Sunday that critics call a plan by President Nicolas Maduro to create a dictatorship. The imminent election of a constituent assembly has been broadly condemned by countries around the world as a weakening of democratic governance in the OPEC nation, which is also struggling under a crippling economic crisis. Demonstrators said urgency was increasing as they set up barricades along main roads in the capital, Caracas, pelted by sheets of rain and teargas canisters fired by police.
Donald Trump has announced he is moving General John Kelly from the Department of Homeland Security to take over as White House chief of staff from the increasingly embattled Reince Priebus. It follows a turbulent week in which behind-the-scenes warring erupted into public view. I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 Mr Priebus was one of the few figures from the Republican leadership to join Mr Trump's unconventional team but found himself isolated among the Trump family members and political outsiders who made up much of the core of the administration. More follows
Animals evacuated to Turkey from 'neglected' Syria zoo
An international animal welfare charity was on Friday completing the evacuation of a dozen animals stranded in a neglected zoo in the conflict-torn Aleppo province of northern Syria. The Four Paws group was seeking to move two lions and two domestic dogs from the "Magic World" zoo and amusement park in Syria over the border into Turkey and then to an animal protection centre in the north of the country, a spokesman for the charity told AFP. The convoy with the animals crossed the Syria-Turkey border late Friday and was now on their way to the animal protection facility in Karacabey, outside the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa, said spokesman Martin Bauer.
During a speech Friday about cracking down on the MS-13 gang, President Donald Trump pushed it too far when it came to the topic of police brutality. At one point during his speech at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, New York, in front of a crowd of law enforcement, Trump urged officers, "please don't be too nice." SEE ALSO: The Boy Scouts are really, really sorry about that Trump speech He went on to talk about removing common arrest procedures like protecting a suspect's head when putting them into a police vehicle. "I said you can take the hand away, OK," the president said, apparently forgetting about the whole concept of innocent until proven guilty. Twitter picked up on this and quickly accused the president of encouraging police violence. And they were not OK with it. "to protect and serve and to not be too nice" — E McMorris-Santoro (@EvanMcS) July 28, 2017 Trump just told police officers that they can be more violent than they already are. And they cheered. pic.twitter.com/KjYI3pxcVG — deray mckesson (@deray) July 28, 2017 POTUS just encouraged cops to be rough putting criminals into "the paddy wagon." — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 28, 2017 the president normalizing and legitimizing police brutality is a big deal — fluffy (@curiousgawker) July 28, 2017 Trump openly encourages needless police brutality. This perpetuates the broken trust that makes violence toward and from police more likely. https://t.co/3SG0ymo9qF — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 28, 2017 Amnesty International USA weighed in on Trump's comments. In a statement condemning the president's views, Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs, said, “This inflammatory and hateful speech will only escalate tensions between police and communities and put both law enforcement and civilians at risk." He added, "encouraging violence by police is irresponsible and reprehensible.” Trump's views on law enforcement and inciting violence are nothing new — and continue to include a racist undercurrent directed at communities of color. The violent rhetoric is nothing new for Trump. He ran a campaign based on it: https://t.co/UStYwS6wgR — Anthony De Rosa (@Anthony) July 28, 2017 He was called out for his fear-mongering and violent language again on Friday, especially with his words directed toward immigrants and other marginalized communities. When you can't govern and pass your agenda through Congress, turn to demonizing marginalized PoC and lies. https://t.co/chHPvMm2wX — Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) July 28, 2017 No hate, no fear! Immigrants are welcome here! 100s still in Brentwood demanding Trump go home. #unitedagainsthate pic.twitter.com/cD9wFWUjnu — Daniel Altschuler (@altochulo) July 28, 2017 Sadly, we all known the answer...Trump does NOT believe POC are people. He completely dehumanizes POC. — AmericanWoman8 (@AmericanWoman8n) July 28, 2017 At a time when police and community relations are already tense, Trump's apparent suggestion for cops to rough up suspects is clearly a tactic. WATCH: Trump bars transgender people from military, calls them a "disruption"
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the end, it was a simple hand gesture - Senator John McCain pointing his right index finger in a downward motion to register a no vote - that ruined his party's seven-year effort to repeal Obamacare. McCain, who just last week was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, dropped a hint on Tuesday that if his legislative demands were not met he was prepared to take on Trump in the dispute over how to replace parts of Obamacare with a Republican healthcare program. McCain's relations with Trump have been frosty for some time.
Romania on Friday sparked fury in Moscow by blocking a Moldova-bound plane carrying a senior Russian minister entering its airspace because of an EU travel ban over the Ukraine crisis. The foreign ministry in Bucharest confirmed to AFP that the passenger jet carrying deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin was "not allowed to fly over Romanian airspace".