| Dorian isn't moving because the upper atmosphere is too calm Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:12 PM PDT  Powerful Hurricane Dorian has been going nowhere because nothing high up is making it budge. While this has been horrible for the Bahamas, where the storm's pounding has been relentless, it may help spare Florida a bit, meteorologists said. After reaching record-tying wind speeds on landfall in the Bahamas, the storm just stalled.
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| 7 dead, 22 injured in Odessa, Texas, shooting: Here's what we know now Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:23 PM PDT  The shooting occurred between Odessa and Midland, Texas, after a routine traffic stop turned violent around 3 p.m. local time Saturday.
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| UPDATE 1-Floridians evacuate and grumble as Hurricane Dorian slowly nears Posted: 02 Sep 2019 01:52 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Floridians evacuate and grumble as Hurricane Dorian slowly nears]( "UPDATE 1-Floridians evacuate and grumble as Hurricane Dorian slowly nears") At a retirement community in central Florida, elderly residents waited for a bus on Monday to take them to a shelter as one of the most monstrous Atlantic hurricanes on record crawled toward the state. Mary McNiff, 92, sat in her wheelchair waiting to board at the Good Samaritan Society in Kissimmee, near Orlando, one of more than a million people under evacuation orders along the U.S. East Coast on the Labor Day holiday. Forecasters warned it could still be dangerous as it drew closer to Florida even if its eye did not make landfall in the state.
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| China lodges WTO trade complaint against US: govt Posted: 02 Sep 2019 09:23 AM PDT  China said Monday it had lodged a complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO), one day after new tariffs imposed by Washington on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods came into force. The world's two biggest economies have been embroiled in a bruising year-long trade war which escalated further on Sunday when Washington moved ahead with fresh levy hikes which Beijing had promised to match. "These American tariffs seriously violate the consensus reached by the leaders of our two countries in Osaka," Beijing's commerce ministry said, referring to trade discussions in the Japanese city in June.
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| Bolsonaro ambassador threatens to choke Macron and insults wife Brigitte amid Amazon fires row: 'He sleeps with a dragon' Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:56 AM PDT  Brazil's tourism ambassador has threatened to choke Emmanuel Macron and called his wife Brigitte "ugly" amid a continuing war of words between the French president and the Brazilian government over the fires in the Amazon rainforest.In a video posted on social media, Renzo Gracie accused Mr Macron, who has criticised Brazil's response to the devastating blazes, of "talking rubbish" about his country.
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| Kevin Hart Could Require Back Surgery After Malibu Horror Crash, But Docs Are Optimistic Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:20 AM PDT  Instagram / KevinHart4realComedian Kevin Hart is being assessed to see if he will require back surgery following his dramatic crash in the Malibu hills in the early hours of Sunday morning. Hart, miraculously, walked away from the crash, and was able to go back home before checking himself into an L.A.-area hospital, where he is now under observation. The other two passengers in the car appear to have also had lucky escapes, despite being trapped in the vehicle for some time: Hart's friend Jared Black (who was driving) and personal trainer Rebecca Broxterman are both expected to make full recoveries.Hart could, however, need surgery for major back injuries he suffered in the crash, which saw his vintage Plymouth Barracuda veer off a Mulholland Highway canyon, crashing to the ground ten feet below. Pictures showed the roof of the car completely sheared off. Doctors are optimistic that Hart will make a full recovery as he has not suffered "a spinal cord injury," The Blast reports, adding that he is "able to walk and move his extremities."Hart was a passenger in the vintage muscle car, which he bought in July to mark his 40th birthday, when it went off the road and rolled down an embankment.California Highway Patrol officers said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, which happened at around around 12:45 a.m. Sunday.The car was turning when the driver "immediately lost control of the vehicle, and the Plymouth left the road and rolled over down the northern embankment," TMZ said, quoting cops.Just hours before the crash, Hart had posted a video on Instagram of himself sitting in the car. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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.
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| Rep. Ocasio-Cortez slams 'Straight Pride' parade Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:03 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rebuked Boston's "Straight Pride" parade and its apparent lack of female participants, calling it an "'I-Struggle-With-Masculinity' parade."
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| Residents, protesters converge on Mong Kok Police Station to vent anger at Hong Kong officers Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:32 AM PDT  The tense scene followed a stand-off earlier near Tamar Park in Admiralty.
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| Afghan killer sparks far-right criticism in France Posted: 01 Sep 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Jacquet said the knifeman had been first registered in France in 2009 as a minor, but travelled to Germany, Norway, Britain and Italy before returning to France in 2016 where he was granted temporary residency rights. France has been the victim of a string of Islamist-inspired terror attacks since 2015 that have cost hundreds of lives.
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| Dorian strikes Bahamas with record fury as Category 5 storm Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:29 PM PDT  McLEAN'S TOWN CAY, Bahamas (AP) — Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, its record 185 mph winds ripping off roofs, overturning cars and tearing down power lines as hundreds hunkered down in schools, churches and shelters. Dorian slammed into Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12:40 p.m., and then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2 p.m., after authorities made last-minute pleas for those in low-lying areas to evacuate. "It's devastating," said Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.
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| Odessa shooting: Texas lawmaker's defiant defense of gun rights sparks sharp debate Posted: 01 Sep 2019 10:17 AM PDT ![Odessa shooting: Texas lawmaker's defiant defense of gun rights sparks sharp debate]( "Odessa shooting: Texas lawmaker's defiant defense of gun rights sparks sharp debate") State Rep. Matt Schaefer of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, says Texans need to turn to God, not gun control measures.
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| Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:25 PM PDT ![Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest]( "Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest") Russian opposition activist Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, was detained by police on Monday after a weekend protest in Moscow, Navalny's spokeswoman said on Twitter. A few thousand Russians took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections to the capital's city legislature on Sept. 8, defying a ban enforced by detentions during previous protests. Protesters have been calling for the release of activists detained in earlier rallies, and Sobol on Saturday described the arrests as "mayhem," blaming it on the city government.
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| President Trump Seen at the Golf Course While Hurricane Dorian Approaches the U.S. Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:51 AM PDT  He also spent Labor Day criticizing the head of the AFL-CIO
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| Hurricane Dorian path update shows Category 5 storm headed for direct hit on northern Bahamas Posted: 01 Sep 2019 08:19 AM PDT  An already dangerous Hurricane Dorian intensified yet again Sunday as it closed in on the northern Bahamas, threatening to batter islands with Category 5-strength winds, pounding waves and torrential rain as people hunkered down in schools, churches and other shelters.
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| Photos of Volvo Truck with Banksy's Artwork Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:15 AM PDT |
| Ten children wounded after shooting at high school football match Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:02 AM PDT  A shooting at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday night wounded at least 10 people, police said.The city's police chief, Lawrence Battiste, said at a news conference Friday that the victims were between 15 and 18 years old, according to local station WKRG 5. Their conditions were not immediately available.
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| ICC prosecutor ordered to reopen Gaza flotilla case Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:17 AM PDT  The International Criminal Court on Monday ordered the tribunal's prosecutor for a second time to reconsider whether to press charges over a deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza in 2010. In the latest step in a long-running legal battle at the court in The Hague, appeals judges told prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to decide by December whether to reopen the case. Nine Turkish citizens died in May 2010 when Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara, among eight ships trying to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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| Hurricane Dorian has struck the Bahamas, with Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in its path. Here is where and when it's due to strike next. Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:24 AM PDT  Hurricane Dorian's path is nearing Florida, where it is no longer projected to make landfall, but still cause 'devastating hurricane-force winds.'
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| Kenya park suspends gorge visits after flash flood kills 7 Posted: 02 Sep 2019 10:45 AM PDT  Authorities called off search and rescue operations after seven bodies were recovered from a flash flood that killed at least six tourists and their driver visiting the gorges of the famous Hell's Gate National park. Five Kenyans of Indian descent, an Indian national and their Kenyan driver died in the Sunday evening tragedy, said Paul Udoto, spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service. The park was also closed, authorities said.
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| U.S. wants Brexit that encourages stability in Ireland: Vice President Pence Posted: 02 Sep 2019 10:15 AM PDT  The United States wants the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union to protect stability on the island of Ireland and respect Northern Ireland's 1998 peace deal, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday. A proposed clause in Britain's EU divorce deal designed to protect the peace deal by ensuring an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland has become the key sticking point in efforts to agree a managed exit before Britain's exit date of Oct. 31, raising fears of a chaotic withdrawal.
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| It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:38 PM PDT ![It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else]( "It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else") 'It's too late in the game to keep saying it's too early,' a former Hillary Clinton adviser says of the Democratic presidential primary.
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| Russia’s Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:12 AM PDT ![Russia's Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center]( "Russia's Deputy Premier Rips New Space Center") (Bloomberg) -- A series of corruption scandals, cost overruns and mishaps at Russia's new Vostochny Cosmodrome have brought long-simmering questions about the leadership of the country's space agency into public view."The situation is unacceptable for everyone, including the construction of the first stage and the second stage" of the space center, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told Vedomosti newspaper in an interview published Monday, adding that the Defense Ministry may take over part of the work.Borisov, formerly a powerful and secretive official responsible for procurement at the Defense Ministry, became deputy prime minister last year in place of Dmitry Rogozin, who was appointed to head Roscosmos by President Vladimir Putin. While Russia views the cosmodrome as a national security priority, with its current Soviet-era launch base located at Baikonur in neighboring Kazakhstan, the $3 billion project has been plagued by controversy.Rogozin, who's frequently highlighted the threat posed by Elon Musk's SpaceX venture to Russia's launch industry, quickly took to Twitter to defend himself. "It's always been this way: some build, while others criticize," Rogozin wrote. "It's part of the business."Splits within the Kremlin elite have become more visible since Putin's re-election last year to what may be his final presidential term under Russia's constitution, amid jostling by rival factions. Last month, for example, Rostec State Corp. chief Sergey Chemezov, a longtime Putin ally and fellow spy, contradicted the official line that recent Moscow election protests should be put down forcefully, warning instead that the country risked stagnation without a healthy opposition.Putin ordered Russia's Investigative Committee to examine construction at Vostochny during a visit to the space center after a planned first rocket launch was delayed in 2015. Months earlier, workers who hadn't been paid for months went on hunger strike and appealed to Putin for help by painting a message on the roof of their barracks.The Prosecutor General's Office has opened a series of criminal cases after uncovering 10 billion rubles ($150 million) in losses during construction at Vostochny. In one sparkling example of corruption, a contractor accused of stealing 4 million rubles was detained in Minsk, Belarus, while driving a Mercedes covered in Swarovski crystals.While the space center went into operation in 2016, officials uncovered a critical defect on one of Vostochny's launchpads as recently as last November, RBC news website reported. In 2017, a satellite launch failed after the rocket was programmed with coordinates for takeoff from another launch pad.Alexei Kudrin, the head of Russia's Audit Chamber, told lawmakers last year that he had found 760 billion rubles ($11.4 billion) of financial violations in Roscosmos's books, including several billion that had been "basically stolen," describing the space agency as "the champion in terms of the scale of such violations." Roscosmos said the criticism related to a 2017 audit, before Rogozin's appointment.Rogozin, who was responsible as deputy premier for the space industry, threatened in 2015 to "rip off the heads" of construction staff involved in corruption after Vostochny risked having its electricity cut off over unpaid bills, according to the Interfax news service.\--With assistance from Ilya Arkhipov and Stepan Kravchenko.To contact the reporter on this story: Jake Rudnitsky in Moscow at jrudnitsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Torrey Clark at tclark8@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Santa Cruz boat fire: fight to save lives as 34 people trapped below deck Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:55 AM PDT  The US coast guard is scrambling to reach 34 people who were sleeping below deck when their scuba-diving boat caught fire off the coast of California. The blaze broke out at 3.14am local time. Five crew members were able to be rescued given their position on the boat but the fate of those trapped below is not known. The 75-foot (22-meter) boat was located near Santa Cruz Island off the coast from Los Angeles and was carrying passengers for a cruise on Labour Day, a US bank holiday. There were reports of "numerous fatalities". The details of exactly what happened are still emerging. Aaron Bemis, a US Coast Guard chief, told CNN the fire was so strong that it kept on relighting as rescuers attempted to put it out. Images of the dive boat "Conception" - Five people were rescued and 34 more are missing after a fire broke out on a boat early Monday morning near Santa Cruz Island Credit: Universal News And Sport (Europe) "The five crew members were able to disembark because they were in the main cabin," Mr Bemis said. "The 34 passengers were below decks. The report we got was they were trapped by the fire." "The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we're not able to actually embark the vessel and, you know, look for survivors at this point." "It's still ongoing." Fire fighters tackle the blaze on the ship near Santa Cruz Island Credit: VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX Bill Nash, a spokesman for Ventura County, told CNN many people were feared dead. "It's a large boat, and we know we have numerous fatalities. I don't have an exact number," Mr Nash said.
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| We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy. Posted: 02 Sep 2019 05:43 AM PDT  We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.
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| Hezbollah and Israel: a new war or restraint? Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:39 AM PDT  Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Israel traded cross-border fire on Sunday, in a spat that came after a week of heightened tensions between the two rivals. Analysts lean towards the latter but warn that Israel and Hezbollah don't hold all the cards. Hezbollah on Sunday said it destroyed a military vehicle in northern Israel.
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| See Photos of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| UPDATE 2-Pope picks new cardinals, putting his stamp on Church's future Posted: 01 Sep 2019 04:44 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Pope picks new cardinals, putting his stamp on Church's future]( "UPDATE 2-Pope picks new cardinals, putting his stamp on Church's future") Pope Francis appointed 13 new cardinals in a surprise move on Sunday, again putting his stamp on the future of a Church he wants to be more open as most of those named are considered progressive on social issues. Ten of them are under the age of 80 and may one day be called to elect Francis' successor, increasing the possibility that the next pope will continue his policies.
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| Guatemala arrests ex-1st lady, presidential runner-up Torres Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:20 PM PDT  Former Guatemalan first lady and presidential runner-up Sandra Torres was arrested Monday on charges of campaign finance violations, the latest high-profile political figure to face allegations of malfeasance even as a U.N. anti-graft commission is set to shut down. Investigators searched Torres' Guatemala City home in the morning and transported her to court, handcuffed, with her face obscured by a scarf, a hood and dark glasses. Prosecutors said she is accused of unregistered electoral financing and illicit association related to the 2015 election and the National Unity of Hope party, of which she was both candidate and general secretary.
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| Costco is closed for Labor Day, but here are the stores and restaurants staying open Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:25 PM PDT  Most major retailers and restaurant chains are open Monday, though some will have special holiday hours. Many pharmacies will be closed.
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| Authorities identify gunman in deadly Odessa shooting Posted: 02 Sep 2019 01:32 AM PDT  Odessa police identified the gunman who opened fire at random as Seth Aaron Ator.
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| The CAR Murders: A Critical Cold Case in the New Cold War Points to ‘Putin’s Chef’ Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:23 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyST. PETERSBURG, Russia–It's been more than a year now since someone murdered three Russian journalists on a dark road in a remote corner of the Central African Republic.Within days of the killings on the night of July 30-31, 2018, as The Daily Beast reported at the time, there were suspicions the journalists had been set up. Since then, the official investigations have gone nowhere or been diverted down blind alleys, and if the Kremlin and its front men have their way—which they normally do in the Central African Republic—the case will go completely cold. But the families of the victims, their colleagues, and the exiled Russian tycoon who sent the journalists on their fatal mission in the first place say they are determined to see justice done. Their investigations have peeled back layer after layer of an ostensibly private "company" noteworthy for conspiracy and corruption, which Russian President Vladimir Putin evidently employs to extend his influence around the world.Russian Journalists Murdered in Africa May Have Been Set UpAmericans concerned about the ruthlessness of Moscow's operations to subvert or dominate other countries should take note as evidence mounts that some of the central figures in the cyberattacks on the U.S. presidential election in 2016 may also be implicated in the Africa homicides. The victims were Orkhan Dzhemal, 51, a famous Russian war correspondent; Alexander Rastorguyev, 47, a film director; and Kirill Radchenko, 33, a cameraman. They had traveled to Africa to make a documentary about the "Wagner Group," a highly secretive private military contractor allegedly created by the infamous Russian billionaire and Putin crony, Yevgeny Prigozhin.He is the same figure named in a detailed indictment by the Mueller probe in February 2018 and in the subsequent Mueller Report released this year as the money man behind the Internet Research Agency, a troll factory here in St. Petersburg that set out to defeat Hillary Clinton, then help elect Donald Trump in 2016. (Prigozhin told a Russian state news agency that he was not upset about his indictment. "Americans see what they want to see," he said.) But the troll factory is just one of many operations that are part of what his underlings refer to as "The Company."Prigozhin, often given the anodyne sobriquet "Putin's chef," initially built his fortune on huge Russian government catering contracts, but the tentacles of his organization are spread far and wide, and in some surprising places. He even has a firm that makes candy, and there are many here who would tell you the sweets have a sinister background. "These are bloody chocolates, produced by the same people who attack and kill journalists," claims Yegor Alekseyev, a blogger from St. Petersburg. "Two men broke my nose and smashed my teeth in 2016 after I published stories about Prigozhin's 'troll factory.' These are dangerous people backed up by the [Russian government's] special services."In 2014, when Putin made his move to take the Crimean peninsula away from Ukraine and launch covertly a separatist revolution in the east of that country that has now cost more than 13,000 lives, combatants linked to a mysterious organization of mercenaries started showing up. Many of its recruits appeared to have come from Russian military intelligence, the GRU, especially the special forces component known as Spetsnaz. They answered to a former officer named Dmitry Utkin, nicknamed "Wagner." These operatives also surfaced in Syria, in Sudan, and in the Central African Republic. Their objective was not only to extend Russian influence, but to take control of industries and especially natural resources, further enriching their backer, who was soon reported to be Prigozhin. He has issued pro forma denials, but evidence of Prigozhin's ties to the group has continued to mount, especially in the private investigations of those trying to get to the bottom of the Central African murders. * * *DUELING INVESTIGATIONS* * *Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once reputedly the richest man in Russia–an oligarch so wealthy and powerful that Putin felt threatened, and finally managed to put him away in prison for almost a decade. When Khodorkovsky was released in 2013, he went to Britain and has since worked as one of Putin's most active opponents in exile.It was Khodorkovsky who funded the fatal trip to the Central African Republic by Dzhemal, Rastorguyev, and Radchenko to report on the Wagner Group's activities, and it is Khodorkovsky who has underwritten the most exhaustive investigation of their murder. "Somebody has to put evidence together for the day Putin's crooks end up in court," Khodorkovsky told The Daily Beast last year. He hired journalists, military experts, private detectives and others to delve into the killings, and issued a "final report" under the auspices of his Dossier Center on the anniversary of the murders.The picture that emerges over the course of almost 80 pages is highly detailed and deeply disturbing. For starters, the Dossier investigators addressed the official version put forth by Russian authorities and the CAR security forces, many of them trained and funded by the Kremlin directly and also by Wagner personnel. Their claim is that the Russian documentary makers were ambushed on a back road at night by bandits wearing turbans and speaking Arabic who shot all three of them dead. The killers let the local driver, named as Bienvenue Douvokama, escape in his car and the sketchy account of the attack came from Douvokama. When the official version failed to satisfy the victims' families, friends, or colleagues in the independent press, a Prigozhin-backed news agency, RIA FAN, conducted its own investigation of the murder and named Dominique Christophe Raineteau as the mastermind, claiming that he was a French mercenary or agent in league with terrorists."We have our vision of what happened in CAR," RIA FAN editor Yevgeny Zubarev wrote in an email to The Daily Beast. "It was a planned provocation but you are never going to publish our conclusions… Your publication is neither going to mention in a negative light Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the main suspect of this crime; nor the Western (French) special services, the possible accomplices," wrote Zubarev.Actually, the RIA FAN conclusions are quite interesting, because they do not agree at all with the official government versions blaming unknown Arabic-speaking thieves. The general thrust of the RIA FAN report is that the Russian journalists were killed in order to embarrass Russia (if not indeed to blame Prigozhin and Putin). The agent who organized the murders, according to RIA FAN, was Raineteau, a French mercenary who is protected by the French secret services, and Khodorkovsky himself, who supposedly paid Raineteau to set up the team Khodorkovsky had sent. RIA FAN notes the extensive French-Russian rivalry for resources and dominance in Africa as the motive for the French plot, and says Khodorkovsky's motive is to "discredit any activity of Russia abroad, particularly in Africa and the revenge directed at the Russian Federation."All of this makes for a fascinating narrative of conspiracy, and is typical of disinformation that tries to ascribe presumed motives—"who benefits from the crime"—as proof when it is really self-serving conjecture. There is some hearsay in the RIA FAN report, but the documentary evidence linking Raineteau to the killing is virtually nonexistent, while the account compiled by Khodorkovsky's investigators appears to be based largely on minute examination of phone records and emails (albeit without any explanation of how they were obtained). The narrative developed by the investigators for Khodorkovsky's Dossier Centre goes roughly like this:The three journalists made a critical mistake when they were looking for a "fixer" to set up appointments, transportation, lodging, translation and the like while they were in the CAR. Even though they were investigating one Prigozhin operation, Wagner, they asked a journalist working for another Prigozhin company, RIA FAN, for help. This may not be quite as unusual as it sounds, because journalists working for conflicting media often believe they have more common bonds as professionals in the field than as servants for their bosses in the home offices. That may have been the case where the request for advice from FAN journalist Kirill Romanovsky was concerned.He in turn suggested they contact by text message a Dutch man with experience in the CAR as a United Nations employee or contractor who went by the name of "Martin."The RIA FAN report would later suggest Martin was none other than the mysterious French operative Raineteau. But the Dossier Centre investigation concludes "with a high degree of probability that the fixer 'Martin'… never existed." Rather, "he was invented by the coordinators of a thoroughly planned operation.""Martin" did not show up at the airport as expected, when the crew arrived, and they never once laid eyes on him or, for that matter, spoke to him on the phone. Everything was handled by text messages, including Martin's claim that he was 376 kilometers from the CAR capital Bangui in the town of Bambari, where they were headed initially the day they were killed. According to the Dossier Centre report, cell phone records show "Martin," or at least that phone, never left the capital.The Dossier Centre investigation notes that the local driver the crew hired, Bienvenue Douvokama, is believed to be an agent or informer for the local gendarmerie, and was in "constant operational contact with gendarme Emmanuel Kotofio" who "tracked the journalists' movements and was in their immediate vicinity." (Kotofio is quoted by RIA FAN saying he and Douvokama are old friends and just like to shoot the breeze.)Kotofio, in turn, "maintained contact with a man identified by the Dossier Centre as an 'instructor in surveillance, counter-surveillance, recruitment and intelligence work'" from another Prigozhin company, M-Finans, run by one Aleksandr Sotov, who then reported to Valery Zakharov, a Russian adviser to the president of the CAR and head of a team of instructors in Prigozhin's "Company."On the fatal night of July 30, according to the Dossier Centre, Kotofio the gendarme passed through a military checkpoint at the town of Sibut, on the same road the journalists would take only minutes later. With Kotofio were three Caucasians, "presumably Russians," according to the Dossier Centre report. Kotofio drove back to the checkpoint later at 8 p.m. The journalists' driver reported their murder about 45 minutes later at a village near the scene.The following day, according to the Dossier Centre, a "disinformation campaign" began to confuse and impede any outside investigation.According to emails obtained by the Dossier Centre, which cannot be independently verified, Prigozhin is personally involved in running the Company's projects in the Central African Republic.* * *THE PAIN OF THE FAMILIES* * * The Kremlin remains deaf to the victims' families' demands to question Prigozhin and his men on the ground, including commanders of the Russian militia working for CAR's leadership. Alexander Radchenko's, the father of the cameraman, says it is easy for him to connect the dots identifying the main suspects. Since July 30, 2018, the day his son's body was found in CAR, Radchenko has been analyzing reports by private investigators and journalists, and read and watched interviews with Moscow's key man in CAR, Valery Zakharov, a former Russian military intelligence officer, who is now the country's main security adviser. "The investigators–along with Russian diplomats, FSB, GRU–back up the Russian military instructors working in CAR instead of questioning the main guy, Zakharov,and his bosses," Radchenko told The Daily Beast on Tuesday.The heartbroken father has written more than 30 petitions to Russian state detectives investigating the criminal case. Some of his requests ostensibly were taken into consideration, but most of them were ignored. Radchenko told The Daily Beast that in his opinion the murder was "undoubtedly a set up." Over the last six months, the father says, he has seen enough evidence collected by independent reporters to conclude that "Yevgeny Prigozhin, Valery Zakharov and his aide Alexander Sotov are the principal suspects to be questioned about the murder of my son." But Radchenko sounds hopeless: "Every time I ask the state detective on this case, Igor Zolotov, to call them for questioning, he seems too shy and tells me: 'We should not bother such important men, they must be busy.'"Putin's Man in the Central African Republic: Is Valery Zakharov at the Heart of Russian Skulduggery? Khodorkovsky's team has tried to fill that investigative gap. "We have done our part of the job, presented mobile phone billing to demonstrate that Zakharov, his aid Alexander Sotov, the gendarme they trained and the crew called each other dozens of times during the two days before the murder," Maxim Dbar, Khodorkovsly's spokesman, told The Daily Beast. "We have no authority to question the key suspects."Irina Gordiyenko, a reporter for independent Novaya Gazeta, especially wants to know who killed Orkhan Dzhemal, the father of her son. "I want to ask both Zakharov and Sotov about the billing data, what sort of actions they coordinated from the moment of the journalists' arrival in CAR," Gordiyenko said in a recent interview with The Daily Beast. "I have questions for Zakharov about CAR gendarmes being trained in Russia. I want to ask the Russian MID [ministry of foreign affairs] why the journalists' belongings have not been moved to Russia, why our diplomats consult with Prigozhin's Wagner about the official version of the murder to give to the public."Somebody shot Rostorguyev from a 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle. Two bullets hit the journalist's heart. "Only a professional could fire so accurately in the dark," Gordiyenko added her doubts. The United States imposed sanctions against billionaire Prigozhin and his Concord holding company in 2016 for constructing a military base for Russian forces near Ukraine. But neither the sanctions, nor the links to the CAR murder that shook the entire country, has slowed the growth of Prigozhin's business empire. Concord keeps working on immense state contracts, his Zinger Development group is planning to build an artificial island in the Gulf of Finland, and foreign tourists keep buying his chocolates at Eliseyev Emporium, a historic architectural landmark on Nevsky Prospect. Jessica from Vermont was purchasing Marzipans shaped as carrots, half a pound of Lukum and chocolates with lime taste. "I am not sure I know who Prigozhin is, I am sorry," the tourist told The Daily Beast.Prigozhin has access to the highest offices in the Kremlin and cooperates closely with the defense ministries of both Russia and the CAR. The power is on his side. "The murder of the three journalists is not going to be investigated, at least there will never be public knowledge of who ordered the killing," a political analyst close to the Kremlin, Sergei Markov, told The Daily Beast. "Prigozhin has created private military forces to help Russia, he is fighting the war against Russia's enemies that are constantly undermining our power, so of course Moscow will not go against him to support the dossier created by Putin's enemy, Khodorkovsky." In the eyes of much of the world, however, Putin's name will be linked forever to the murder of the three journalists just as it is linked to the killing of journalists Anna Politkovskaya or Natalia Estemirova.Dzhamal, Rastorguyev, and Radchenko were—and remain—important symbols for Russians who still believe the search for solid facts and the truth is the only way to combat corruption and the disinformation used to disguise it, even if the quest costs you your life.Anna Nemtsova reported from St. Petersburg, Christopher Dickey from Paris.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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.
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| 15 years on, relatives of Beslan massacre victims demand answers Posted: 01 Sep 2019 09:39 AM PDT  Relatives of victims of the Beslan massacre on Sunday said they were still waiting for answers, 15 years after the tragedy that left over 330 dead including 186 children. Sunday marks the anniversary of the school siege in the town of Beslan in the Russian Caucasus when Chechen militants stormed the school, herding over 1,100 people into a gymnasium and rigging the building with explosives. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2017 that Russia's handling of the siege had "serious failings" in terms of its failure to prevent the attack and its use of excessive lethal force and called on Moscow to take measures to establish the truth.
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| Which of These Doomsday Scenarios Is Most Likely to Kill Us All? Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| California boat fire: Eight confirmed dead as 25 remain missing near Santa Cruz Island Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:03 AM PDT  Four bodies have been recovered and a further four identified on the ocean floor following a fire on a diving boat off Santa Cruz Island, California.Lt Cmdr Matthew Kroll of the US Coast Guard said the bodies were found close to the wreckage of the Conception, which caught fire in the early hours while 33 passengers were asleep below deck.
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| CORRECTED-Hurricane Dorian lashes Bahamas, a million evacuated along U.S. east coast Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:57 AM PDT ![CORRECTED-Hurricane Dorian lashes Bahamas, a million evacuated along U.S. east coast]( "CORRECTED-Hurricane Dorian lashes Bahamas, a million evacuated along U.S. east coast") Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama early on Monday, peeling off roofs, toppling cars and snapping power lines as rising floodwater threatened to engulf houses. The second-strongest Atlantic storm on record was forecast to pound the archipelago through the day, then move towards the east U.S. coast - where authorities ordered more than a million people evacuated in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. The slow-moving, category five storm left the Bahamian islands covered with twisted metal and splintered wood.
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| Do I stay or do I go? For Joe Manchin, a big decision awaits Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:38 AM PDT  Joe Manchin is once again at a career crossroads that says as much about the West Virginia politician as it does the state of American politics. The Democrat says he'll decide right after Labor Day whether to stick with being in the U.S. Senate, where he was just reelected for a six-year term, or make a run for West Virginia governor in 2020. In some ways, it's almost a risk-free political choice because Manchin can try to return to the governor's office, the job he had before joining the Senate, without forfeiting his Senate seat or complicating his party's drive to control Congress.
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| Brother of British woman killed by expat husband pleads with UAE judge for murder sentence Posted: 02 Sep 2019 10:26 AM PDT  The family of a murdered British woman has said Dubai will set a "dangerous" precedent if it releases her husband from prison this week, two years after he bludgeoned her to death with a hammer. Francis Matthew, 62, will fight his murder conviction on Wednesday on the grounds that his wife, Jane, provoked him during an argument at their Dubai family home. Two years into a potential 15 year sentence, his lawyers will claim she called him a "loser", which provoked the attack. Mrs Matthew's family criticised the proceedings, describing Dubai's legal system as "biased" and saying the defence was trying to "blame Jane for her own death". "The Dubai system is truly biased against Jane," said Peter Manning, brother of Mrs Matthew. In a letter seen by The Telegraph and sent to Dubai's Court of Cassation, the emirate's highest judicial body, Mr Manning said releasing Mr Matthew early would deny his sister justice. Francis was editor-at-large of Gulf News when he killed his wife, Jane, following an argument Credit: Telegraph "To excuse this crime in some way as being Jane's fault sends a clear message to husbands across the United Arab Emirates: you can kill your wife, even with a hammer, and all you have to do to escape justice is claim she 'demeaned you'," wrote Mr Manning. "This denies Jane her human right to life." He added, "It is very dangerous and completely opposite to the UAE's aim of being a modern, gender equal nation." Mr Matthew, a former Economist journalist and editor of Gulf News, hit his wife with a hammer in the early hours of the morning in June 2017 following an argument. Mr Matthew's original conviction of assault that led to death in March 2018 was upgraded to murder on appeal and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Court of Cassation overturned the conviction and a panel of judges will review the case this week. His defence will argue that he is guilty of "physical assault that led to death". If the court agrees, he could walk free with time served. Francis is appealing for a lighter conviction, arguing that Jane provoked him by calling him a 'loser' Credit: Telegraph Mrs Matthew's family said her husband picked up a hammer in his kitchen and walked to the bedroom, where Mrs Matthew was lying in bed before attacking her with intent. After killing her, he showered and went to work as editor before staging a break-in on his return that evening. "As Jane's brother I am in no doubt that this was pre-meditated murder and I confirm that I wish to see Mr Matthew convicted of pre-meditated murder and jailed appropriately," said Mr Manning. "My father and I have been frustrated with the way the Court of First Instance allowed the defence to blame Jane for her own death." It is not clear what impact the letter will have and Dubai is yet to acknowledge it."If the court was open to justice they should be less willing to erect barriers to my letter," said Mr Manning. The Foreign Office said it is supporting Mrs Matthew's family and is in touch with the relevant local authorities.
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| Why Millions in India Risk Losing Their Citizenship Posted: 01 Sep 2019 11:12 PM PDT ![Why Millions in India Risk Losing Their Citizenship]( "Why Millions in India Risk Losing Their Citizenship") (Bloomberg) -- Officials in Assam -- a lush, tea-growing state in northeastern India -- have published an updated citizenship registry for the first time in decades. About 1.9 million people's names have been left off the list. Anyone who can't prove they are living in the state legally risks being stripped of his or her citizenship and potentially deported. The state government, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, says the move is needed to identify illegal migrants. Critics accuse it of pushing a Hindu nationalist agenda that seeks to clear out Muslims.1\. What's the background?Illegal migration has been a source of ethnic conflict and political unrest in Assam for decades. When Bangladesh declared independence in 1971, leading to a war with Pakistan, many families fled across the border into India to escape the fighting, settling in Assam. Some were granted citizenship, while others never registered. BJP president Amit Shah, Modi's home affairs minister, promised at a rally in 2018 to purge the voter list of "infiltrators."2\. What's the list?It's called the National Register of Citizenship, although it only covers the roughly 33 million people living in Assam state. It was first prepared after a 1951 national census, and debate about updating it has been going on for years. Draft lists released in 2018 and 2019 excluded some 4.1 million residents -- roughly equal to the population of Ireland or the U.S. state of Oregon.3\. How do you qualify?The government released a number of criteria for registering, including people whose names were on the 1951 census or on voting lists in Assam up to midnight on March 24, 1971 -- the day before Bangladesh declared independence -- and their descendants. People who arrived from Bangladesh before that date, registered and became Indian citizens also qualify. The registration is being monitored by India's Supreme Court.4\. What if you're not on the list?Modi's federal government and the BJP-run state government have assured people that those left off the list won't face detention immediately and will be given opportunities to appeal. But millions of people who have been there for decades are living in fear of losing their rights to vote or own property, access welfare programs -- or worse. Many are afraid they will be forced into detention camps or deported to Bangladesh if they can't prove their identities, a process that could take months.5\. Could it spread to other states?Stripping Bengali-speaking Muslims and other minorities of Indian citizenship is part of the BJP's election platform, which saw Modi re-elected in May 2019 with a greater mandate. BJP politicians want to replicate the Assam move nationwide, potentially leading to a surge in sectarian violence at a time when India's economy is slowing. Muslims in India suffered another setback in August when Modi scrapped the autonomy of Kashmir, a disputed region between India and Pakistan. Moreover, the Modi government has tried to push legislation that would offer citizenship to illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian descent. Modi's political opponents say it's a move to shelter non-Muslim refugees and push its core ideology.Millions May Be Left Stateless in India's Citizenship CrackdownThe government of Assam answers FAQs on the registry.QuickTakes on why India and Pakistan keep clashing, and India's caste system.An opinion piece: A flawed process that pleased noneTo contact the reporter on this story: Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, ;Paul Geitner at pgeitner2@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten KateFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like Posted: 02 Sep 2019 06:51 AM PDT ![Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like]( "Here's What A $9,500 GMC Typhoon Looks Like") Spoiler alert: it's in great shape!Despite being known for auctions of seven- and eight-figure price tags for cars, the 2019 Monterey Car Week, surprisingly, had no shortage of cars exchanging hands for four-figure amounts. The same can be said for this rare teal 1992 GMC Typhoon, although you weren't going to find this high-performance SUV crossing any auction blocks.Before heading to the Pebble Beach festivities, Tyler Hoover, of the Hoovie's Garage YouTube channel, bought the teal Typhoon from another YouTuber for the amazingly low sum of just $9,500. While it's not impossible to find a Typhoon in this type of price range, said examples are usually abused or modified and they are definitely not one of the Typhoon's rare colors as this one is. Unlike the Syclone pickup truck, the Typhoon was available in colors other than black, although black was, by far, the most popular color for this SUV.Teal with gray cladding was one of nine color combinations available on the Typhoon for the 1992 model year, and the video says that of the almost 2,500 Typhoons made that year, just 135 had this paint color. This model looks absolutely amazing, and it even still has the factory wheels. It's a really clean and straight truck considering the years and the price. Only available for the 1992 and 1993 model years, the GMC Typhoon – along with the 1991 Syclone – was one of the fastest vehicles of the era, and it was famous for having quicker acceleration than a Ferrari 348 or Corvette. That's thanks to the turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 and the standard all-wheel drive system allowing this compact SUV to rocket off the line.It's safe to assume that some of the low price can be accounted to a little exposure on the seller's behalf, but this is still a great deal for one of GM's greatest vehicles of the '90s. Read More... * A Storm Is Brewing Thanks To A 1993 GMC Typhoon * Another 1991 GMC Syclone Is Ready For A New Owner
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| Thousands evacuated in Germany as WWII bomb found Posted: 02 Sep 2019 11:56 AM PDT  More than 15,000 people were evacuated late Monday from the northern German city of Hanover following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb, city officials said. Residents of the capital of the state of Lower Saxony were told to leave their homes in the early evening as a precaution on the discovery of the 250 kilogram (550 pound) device, city authorities said on their website. The unearthing of World War II era bombs is a common occurrence in Hanover, home to some 500,000 people and one of dozens of cities the Allies targeted during the conflict.
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| Pakistan grants India access to alleged spy on death row Posted: 02 Sep 2019 07:55 AM PDT  Pakistan granted consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row Monday, sparking claims from New Delhi that the prisoner was under "extreme pressure" and unable to speak freely during the meeting. The consular visit comes weeks after the International Court of Justice in July ordered Islamabad to provide the prisoner and alleged spy -- Kulbhushan Jadhav -- with consular access but rejected India's demand he be freed. "While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Shri Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan's untenable claims," said India's foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar in a statement.
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| The worst-behaved people on a plane? Hint: It's not babies Posted: 02 Sep 2019 08:55 AM PDT ![The worst-behaved people on a plane? Hint: It's not babies]( "The worst-behaved people on a plane? Hint: It's not babies") When adult passengers are acting like kids when they fly, maybe they're the problem.
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| Amazon fires: Almost 4,000 new blazes started across Brazil in 48 hours after ban on burning forest land Posted: 02 Sep 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Almost 4,000 new forest fires were started in Brazil in the two days after the government banned deliberate burning of the Amazon, officials have revealed.Some 3,859 outbreaks were recorded by the country's National Space Research Institute (Inpe) in the 48 hours following the 60-day prohibition on setting trees alight.
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| UPDATE 16-'Monster' Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas, forecast to threaten Florida Posted: 01 Sep 2019 05:16 AM PDT ![UPDATE 16-'Monster' Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas, forecast to threaten Florida]( "UPDATE 16-'Monster' Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas, forecast to threaten Florida") Hurricane Dorian, the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, pounded the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama on Sunday night and was forecast to move dangerously close to Florida in the next two days, U.S. forecasters said. Hazards for the Abaco Islands included storm surges 18 to 23 feet (5.5 to 7 metres) above normal tide levels, with higher destructive waves, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
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| US promotes free and open Indo-Pacific at naval exercise Posted: 02 Sep 2019 04:50 AM PDT  A senior U.S. naval officer underlined Washington's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific as the United States on Monday launched its first joint naval exercise with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell spoke at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise at the Sattahip naval base in eastern Thailand.
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| Seventh illegal immigrant accused of sex crimes in Maryland county in 5 weeks Posted: 02 Sep 2019 03:48 AM PDT  A seventh suspect in the U.S. illegally has been accused of sexual assault in Maryland's sanctuary Montgomery County. Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins sounds off..
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