Chinese military personnel parade near Hong Kong border: AFP

Thousands of Chinese military personnel waving red flags paraded at a sports stadium in a city across the border from Hong Kong on Thursday, an AFP reporter witnessed. Armoured vehicles were also seen inside the stadium in Shenzhen, with the event taking place as concerns build that China may intervene to end 10 weeks of unrest in Hong Kong. State-run media reported this week that the elements of the People's Armed Police (PAP), which is under the command of the Central Military Commission, were assembling in Shenzhen.

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North Korea fires two projectiles into sea off eastern coast: South Korean military

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Friday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

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Secret Russia weapon project: gamechanger or PR stunt?

A deadly explosion at a Russian testing site has focused attention on President Vladimir Putin's bid to build a nuclear-powered missile that the Kremlin hopes would give Moscow the edge in a new arms race. Western experts have linked the blast at the Nyonoksa test site on August 8, which caused a sharp spike in local radiation levels, to the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile first revealed by Putin in 2018. The Kremlin has, however, not confirmed that the accident was linked to the Burevestnik project and the identity of the missile that exploded remains uncertain.

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Homeowner shot a 14-year-old during burglary attempt. The 5 other teens with him were charged with murder

Six teens were attempting to burglarize a vehicle in Illinois. The homeowner shot one of them and now the remaining 5 are being charged with murder.

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Husband of woman killed in mass shooting invites public to her funeral because 'he has no other family'

The husband of a woman who was killed in a mass shooting in El Paso has invited the public to her funeral as he says he has no other family.Antonio Basco’s wife Margie Reckard was one of 22 people shot dead by a lone gunman at a Walmart supermarket on 3 August.He “welcomes anyone to attend” her funeral in the Texas city on Friday afternoon, according to the undertakers arranging the service.Mr Basco and his wife, who he has described as an “angel”, had been married for 22 years.“He had no other family. Let’s show him and his wife some El Paso love,” wrote Perches Funeral Home in a Facebook post which has been shared more than 9,000 times.Hundreds of people responded sympathetically to the post. Some pledged to attend the service, while others from out of town offered to send flowers and cards.Many more posted on a tribute wall on the funeral director’s website.Members of Ms Reckard’s family will be travelling from out of town for the funeral, according to KTSM. She was born in Baltimore and had two sons and a daughter, the El Paso-based news channel reported.“We want to thank the people of El Paso because without them I don’t know what we would have done,” Ms Reckard’s daughter-in-law Hilda Nuzzi told the station. “Everyone is amazing.”Mr Basco told news channel KFOX 14 last week his wife was “an awesome lady”.“When I met her she was an angel and she still is,” he said. “I mean you didn’t even have to be there to talk to her, you could just look at how she was, how she acted, how she presented herself.“When we first met, that feeling came to each one of us, to each other, and we’ve been together ever since. We were gonna live together and die together that was our plan.”Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, has been charged with capital murder after confessing to being the shooter.He told police had been “targeting Mexicans” at the supermarket, which is known to be popular which shoppers who cross the nearby border from the city of Juarez.Of those who died, 13 were American, eight were Mexican and one was German.

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Portland mayor decries violence, hatred ahead of rally

Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke at a rally with other leaders ahead of the event Saturday, which is also expected to bring out anti-fascist protesters. The weekend event is being organized by a member of the Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Also expected at the Saturday event are members of the American Guard, Three Percenters, Oathkeepers and Daily Stormers.

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Novices banned from Everest after deadliest climbing season in four years

Amateur climbers will be banned from scaling Everest under tough new proposals unveiled by Nepal in the wake of a spate of deaths on the world's highest peak. Training and experience in high altitude climbing must be mandatory for all climbers on mountain and other high peaks, a government panel said on Wednesday, following the deadliest climbing season in four years. Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) mountain in May – nine on the Nepali side and two on the Tibetan side. The Nepali panel - made up of government officials, climbing experts and agencies representing the climbing community - was set up after climbers and guides criticised officials after the deaths for allowing anyone who paid $11,000 to climb Everest. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, and mountain climbing is a key source of employment and income for the cash strapped nation. Does congestion on Mount Everest come at a cost? But the numbers attempting the climb in May led to crowding in the so-called death zone, where there are very low oxygen levels. That put lives at risk as oxygen cylinders ran out while up to 100 people waited in the queue. Nepal issued 381 permits for Everest for this year's climbing season, which tends to culimate in May, when the daylight and weather is the most forgiving. "Climbers to Sagarmatha and other 8,000 metre mountains must undergo basic and high altitude climbing training," the panel said in a report submitted to the government, referring to the Nepali name of Mount Everest. The report said those hoping to climb Everest must climb at least one Nepali peak above 6,500 metres before getting a permit. Climbers must also submit a certificate of good health and physical fitness, and be accompanied by a trained Nepali guide, it said. Is it time to ban Western travellers - and their egos - from Mount Everest? Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, a senior Tourism Ministry official, said the recommendations would be implemented. "The government will now make the required changes in laws and regulations guiding mountain climbing," he told Reuters. Mira Acharya, a member of the panel said "climbers died due to altitude sickness, heart attack, exhaustion or weaknesses and not due to traffic jams". She said the compulsory provision of guides for each climber was to discourage solo attempts which put lives at risk. A reliable weather forecasting system should be in place and rope fixing should be done in time, giving enough space for the climbers to use a window of good weather to reach the summit, the report said.

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Fox News Anchor Pushes Back After Guest Rants About Immigrant ‘Invasion’ at Border

Less than two weeks after the El Paso mass shooting in which the accused shooter targeted Mexicans after complaining of a “Hispanic invasion” of America, Fox News anchor Sandra Smith confronted a guest on Thursday for using similar rhetoric, telling him “people will take issue with you for calling it that.”Appearing on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, National Border Patrol Council vice president Art Del Cueto directly blamed critics of ICE and Border Patrol for recent attacks on ICE facilities.“It’s disgusting to see something like that,” he said in reaction to video of last month’s incident at a Washington facility. “And I think it’s been triggered by way too many individuals that have had a platform to speak against the men and women that are trying to defend our nation’s borders, the law enforcement communities. That is where it comes from.”Del Cueto, however, took issue with studies showing how conservatives' anti-immigration rhetoric echoed that of the shooter, claiming he and Fox News were just “talking about actual facts.”“And the facts that we spoke about are simple,” the frequent Fox News guest declared. “When you have individuals in large quantities that enter another country by force or illegally, waving the flag of another country, that is an invasion. I stand by those words.”“Hold on now,” Smith quickly interjected. “Obviously, we have to push back on comments like that. People will take issue with you calling it that. It is obviously a sensitive issue right now."The Fox anchor went on to steer the conversation back towards the recent incidents at ICE buildings and what steps should be taken moving forward.Smith’s pushback against Del Cueto comes just a day after Fox Nation host Todd Starnes not only doubled down on saying migrants are invading the United States but also likened immigrants to Nazis.In the immediate aftermath of the El Paso shooting, meanwhile, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade defended the network’s repeated use of the term “invasion” to describe immigration, claiming it was not “anti-Hispanic” but was instead a “fact.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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The black hole at the center of our galaxy just lit up twice as bright as ever. Who knows why

Astronomers observing the black hole at the center of our galaxy watched it light up with "unprecedented brightness." And they aren't sure why.

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Impacts of new immigration policy

Evelyn Rusli and Angela Sutherland, co-founders of Yumi, discuss their families' immigration stories, and how this new immigration policy with affect people who are on public assistance.

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Syria regime forces inch closer to key jihadist-held town: monitor

Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said. Over the past week, pro-regime fighters have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). On Thursday, regime loyalists stood just three kilometres (1.8 miles) away from the key town of Khan Sheikhun, after capturing five villages to the northwest overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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Trump Panics, Rushes Into Xi’s Arms

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- It only took a small taste of what a U.S. recession might be like for President Donald Trump to suggest that he wants a trade deal with China after all.The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 800 points in its worst rout of the year after the gap between the two-year and 10-year Treasury yields turned negative for the first time since 2007. An inverted yield curve has preceded the last seven recessions in the U.S.Ever sensitive to stock movements, the president tried to calm the markets after the close. Abandoning his hawkish trade rhetoric, Trump extended an olive branch to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a series of tweets, calling him a “great leader” and a “good man.” He ended his posts with “Personal meeting?,” without specifying whether he was proposing a summit.The question is how Xi will respond to Trump’s overture. Who’s more desperate for a trade deal right now? Consider where China and the U.S. are in their respective business cycles. Since the trade war started, American consumers have sat tight and enjoyed their prosperity – just as Trump has boasted. China’s economy, by contrast, has been having a much tougher time. In the past year and a half, Beijing has had to deal with all sorts of credit issues that could escalate into a wider economic crisis.Examples abound. Last year, regulators changed margin-financing rules as the stock market suffered one of the world’s worst routs. The declines stemmed partly from listed companies pledging shares as collateral to secure short-term bank financing. This spring, the People’s Bank of China undertook the  first commercial bank seizure in two decades and was forced to calm ensuing jitters in the interbank market. Meanwhile, Beijing has had to deal with periodic peer-to-peer lending crises and bond defaults by state-affiliated entities. That might sound bad, but it helps China now. If a fireman has to put out fires every day for a year, he gets more proficient. That’s where Beijing is now.The same can’t be said of the U.S.. The slide in its sovereign long-term bond yields – a measure of investor confidence – has been fast and furious. Just two weeks ago, when Federal Reverse Chairman Jerome Powell described the U.S. rate cut as a “ mid-cycle adjustment,” the gap between the 2-year and 10-year bond yields was still 21 basis points. On Thursday morning in Asia, the 30-year yield, which more reflects traders’ view of the overall health of the economy rather than the depth of the current easing cycle, fell to a record low below 2%. To be sure, China’s economy is slowing: Industrial output growth is at its weakest since 2002. But digging deep into the data, the picture that emerges is of a government that’s measured and confident. For instance, some of the weakness in the July data reflected moves to rein in shadow financing and restart property deleveraging. If Beijing wants better-looking industrial output numbers, it just needs to reopen the liquidity taps – as we saw in the first quarter.On Thursday, the PBOC was showing no signs of panic. The central bank rolled over 383 billion yuan ($54 billion) of medium-term facility loans with interest rates unchanged. While the world's largest central banks are racing toward zero rates, the PBOC has been sitting on the sidelines, saving its firepower for later.China’s system has its advantages when it comes to economic management, as I’ve written. The ability of ministries to co-ordinate their policy responses means China can practice the ultimate in modern monetary theory, which is probably what the U.S. needs right now to restore its yield curve.So while Trump may think his olive branch is a big deal, the message to Washington is: Don’t think you’ve got China on the ropes. Xi was panicking a year ago; he can afford to wait now.   To contact the author of this story: Shuli Ren at sren38@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Matthew Brooker at mbrooker1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Shuli Ren is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian markets. She previously wrote on markets for Barron's, following a career as an investment banker, and is a CFA charterholder.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Ex-lover of dead woman stuffed in suitcase is being hunted by FBI, Mo. officials say

The suspect is charged with kidnapping the children of a woman found dead by a Missouri highway, federal prosecutors say.

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Rep. Steve King has a long history of controversy. How does he get re-elected?

How does Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King keep getting elected year after year? Learn more about his district in Iowa.

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The Latest: Philly police: Gunman had AR-15, handgun

Philadelphia's police commissioner says a gunman who barricaded himself in a rowhouse and exchanged gunfire with police for hours had a military-style AR-15 and a handgun. Richard Ross told reporters Thursday that police still do not have access to the crime scene because tear gas was used there, so he is not sure if there were other weapons. Philadelphia's top federal prosecutor says the shooting of six police officers during a 7 1/2-hour standoff was precipitated by a disrespect for law enforcement that the city's district attorney is championing.

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How Israel's Travel Ban on Reps. Omar and Tlaib Is Uniting Democrats — Including Their Critics

Lawmakers who had criticized Omar months earlier leapt to her and Tlaib’s defense

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Wisconsin fugitive survives for 3 years in makeshift bunker

A Wisconsin fugitive wanted on child sexual assault and child pornography charges hid for more than three years in a makeshift bunker powered by solar panels and a pedal generator before a hunter found him last week, police said.

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Ex-Blackwater contractor sentenced to life in Iraq shootings

A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead. Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a succession of friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December. Prosecutors charged that Slatten, 35, was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad.

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Five killed in India-Pakistan border clashes as Modi hails Kashmir move

Five people were killed in cross-border fire between India and Pakistan, officials said Thursday, amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals since New Delhi controversially stripped contested Kashmir of its autonomy. Skirmishes are frequent across the so-called Line of Control (LoC), but the latest deaths came after Pakistan warned it was ready to meet any Indian aggression over Kashmir. Officials in the part of Kashmir ruled by Pakistan said Thursday that three soldiers died in Indian shelling across the Line of Control, the de facto border, and two others were killed in a separate incident.

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Prosecutors lose bid to seek death penalty against immigrant

Prosecutors have lost another bid to seek the death penalty against an immigrant from Mexico charged with murder in the 2015 shooting death of a convenience store clerk in metro Phoenix. The Arizona Court of Appeals denied a request by prosecutors to reinstate their effort to seek the death penalty against Apolinar Altamirano in the killing of 21-year-old clerk Grant Ronnebeck.

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U.N. Security Council to meet on Friday on India's moves in Kashmir

The U.N. Security Council is due to meet behind closed-doors on Friday at the request of China and Pakistan to discuss India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, diplomats said. The Himalayan region has long been a flashpoint in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. Any action by the 15-member council is unlikely as the United States traditionally backs India and China supports Pakistan.

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The Latest: Supreme Court denies stay of Tennessee execution

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a Tennessee inmate's request for a stay of execution hours before he is scheduled to die in the electric chair. The execution of 56-year-old Stephen West is scheduled for Thursday evening at a Nashville prison. Gov. Bill Lee denied West's clemency application.

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Officer who shot, killed Danquirs Franklin will not be charged, district attorney says

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Wende Kerl will not be charged in connection with the death of Danquirs Franklin at a northwest Charlotte Burger King in March, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather announced Wednesday morning.

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