'White terror': Hong Kong's China critics beaten in targeted attacks

The men jumped Stanley Ho without warning, smashing both his hands with metal rods -- one of multiple recent attacks against prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy figures that activists have dubbed a "white terror". Since late August, eight well-known pro-democracy figures have been beaten by unknown assailants as fear swirls that some "triad" crime networks have flocked to Beijing's cause after five months of protests. "The cause of the attack may be related to two things -- the upcoming district council election and the ongoing movement," Ho told AFP, referring to the protests.

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South Carolina police find remains of 5-year-old girl missing since August in landfill

The Sumter Police Department on Tuesday announced the remains of Nevaeh Lashy Adams were found after a search that began in August.

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UPDATE 1-Kremlin says U.S. betrayed Kurds in Syria, tells Kurds to withdraw or be mauled

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the United States had betrayed and abandoned the Syrian Kurds and advised the Kurds to withdraw from the Syrian border as per a deal between Moscow and Ankara or be mauled by the Turkish army. The comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russian news agencies followed a deal agreed on Tuesday between Russia and Turkey that will see Syrian and Russian forces deploy to northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey. Peskov, who was reported to be reacting to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, complained that it appeared that the United States was encouraging the Kurds to stay close to the Syrian border and fight the Turkish army.

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Joe Biden forced to apologise for 1998 claim that impeaching Bill Clinton could be seen as ‘partisan lynching’

Joe Biden has been forced to apologise for suggesting the impeachment of Bill Clinton could be seen as “a partisan lynching”.The Democrat presidential frontrunner's 1998 comments resurfaced after he attacked Donald Trump for making a similar claim.

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China detains journalist who covered Hong Kong protests: sources

A Chinese journalist who covered democracy protests in Hong Kong has been detained after returning to the mainland, sources with direct knowledge of the situation told AFP on Thursday. Huang Xueqin, who became known for her support of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in China last year, had travelled to Hong Kong this summer. When Huang returned to the mainland, authorities in the southeastern city of Guangzhou summoned her to a meeting and confiscated her travel documents, the sources said.

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'Who gives a s*** about Afghanistan?': Trump stunned officials during a military briefing, former aide says

President Trump bemoaned a U.S.-led coalition mission to provide aid to Afghanistan and derailed a meeting with top military officials last year, according to an upcoming book written by former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s aide.

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Pakistan, India sign deal on visa-free corridor for Sikh pilgrims

Islamabad and New Delhi signed an agreement Thursday on a visa-free corridor between the two countries that will allow Sikh pilgrims in India to visit the shrine to their religion's founder, which is in Pakistan. The Kartarpur Corridor deal -- a rare example of cooperation between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals -- follows months of heightened tensions, mainly over the disputed region of Kashmir. "Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin... can use the corridor.

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Thousands ordered to leave as Northern California fire rages

Officials ordered 2,000 people to evacuate their homes and businesses in Northern California wine country Thursday after a wildfire exploded in size, fueled by powerful winds that prompted utilities throughout the state to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. The entire community of Geyserville and nearby residents were told to leave after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than 15 square miles (39 square kilometers). Among those fleeing the flames was 81-year-old Harry Bosworth, who awoke before sunrise to find a firetruck and firefighters in his driveway.

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Iraq says US troops leaving Syria can't redeploy there and have to leave in 4 weeks, a fresh embarrassment in Trump's botched withdrawal

The Pentagon announced earlier this week that US troops leaving Syria would move on to Iraq, but Iraq says they aren't allowed to.

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Correction: Election 2020-Gabbard-Clinton story

In a story Oct. 18 about Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Hillary Clinton said she believes the Russians have "got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and grooming her to be the third-party candidate." She was referring to Republicans, not Russians, according to an aide.

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US lashes out at 'irresponsible ally' Turkey after Trump lifts sanctions

The US secretary of defence has lashed out at Turkey, saying its Nato partner put America in a “very terrible situation" over its “unwarranted invasion”, a day after President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Ankara. Mark Esper, in unusually sharp words for a US ally, said Turkey’s military assault across the border on Syrian Kurdish fighters jeopardises gains made there in recent years as the US-led coalition and allied Syrian Kurdish forces battled Islamic State. "Turkey put us all in a very terrible situation," he told the German Marshall Fund on Thursday, adding that Ankara needs to return to being the "responsible ally" it has been in the past. Turkey's offensive on northern Syria was internationally condemned after hundreds of thousands of civilians were forced to flee their homes and more than 80 Syrian civilians were killed. A Syrian man receives treatment on October 20, 2019, in the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad which was seized by Turkey-backed forces last week Credit: AFP Mr Trump’s special envoy for Syria went further in its criticism, saying the US had seen evidence of war crimes during Turkey’s offensive against the Kurds, and had demanded an explanation from Ankara. “Many people fled because they’re very concerned about these Turkish-supported Syrian opposition forces, as we are. We’ve seen several incidents which we consider war crimes,” James Jeffrey, special representative for Syria, told a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday. He said US officials were looking into those reports and at “a high-level” had demanded an explanation from Turkey’s government.  Footage has circulated in the last two weeks of Syrian rebels fighting alongside the Turkish military executing civilians at the side of the road, including Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf. Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf was executed at the side of the road by Syrian rebels claiming to be from the Ahrar al-Sharqiya group A biopsy indicated that her legs and her jaw had been broken and that she had been dragged by her hair until the skin of her scalp came out, before being repeatedly shot. The issue of Turkey's military operation in Syria is set to dominate the two-day Nato meeting, with diplomats in the organisation saying "frank" discussions with Ankara's representatives have already taken place. Though it is thought European members will limit themselves to criticism only due to Turkey's strategic position between Europe and the Middle East. Turkey is looking increasingly isolated in Nato, both over its heavily criticised offensive in Syria and over its decision to purchase S-400 missiles defence systems from Russia. “The direction of Turkey with regard to the alliance is heading in the wrong direction, on any number of issues,” Mr Esper said in Brussels. “We see them getting closer to Russia’s orbit…and I think that’s unfortunate.”   The comments come on the heels of Mr Trump's announcement Wednesday that the US is lifting sanctions on Turkey after Ankara agreed to permanently stop fighting Kurdish forces in Syria.  Mr Trump is defending his decision to withdraw about 1,000 American troops from Syria, largely abandoning the Kurdish fighters who battled Isil alongside the US for the last several years.  Mr Trump has declared victory, saying the move is saving lives, but it also cedes control of a large swath of the border to Turkey, Russia and the Syrian government. He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for negotiating a truce with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which gives Kurdish fighters until Tuesday evening to withdraw from a 20-mile-deep buffer zone. "We saved the Kurds, Erdogan did the right thing," he said in an address at the White House. But he warned that the US could reimpose sanctions on Ankara if the ceasefire failed.

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Japan trade minister Sugawara resigns amid scandal: media

Japanese Trade Minister Isshu Sugawara has submitted his resignation following an allegation of a possible election law violation, local media reported on Friday.

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Uneasy Democrats still hope for a white knight to save them from Biden, Warren or Sanders

With questions about the former VP's fundraising and the general election viability of the two New England senators, the Democratic establishment is looking for a new option in the primary race.

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'A sad day': Louisiana deputy and his school teacher wife face 60 counts of child porn and child rape accusations

Sheriff's deputy Dennis Perkins and his wife Cynthia Thompson Perkins, a teacher, were arrested on child pornography and rape charges in Louisiana.

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Ilhan Omar Misquotes Article, Falsely Claims Child ‘Died’ Due to Dropped Medicaid Coverage

Representative Ilhan Omar tweeted a link to a New York Times article Thursday morning and falsely claimed a child “died as a direct result of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and CHIP,” even though the article makes no such claim.After critics pointed out Omar’s inaccuracy on Twitter, her account tweeted an addendum saying the child had “almost died.”> almost died*> > -- Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) October 24, 2019The Times’ article paints a fearful account of rising uninsurance rates among eligible Medicaid families due to amended paperwork requirements and deportation fears, and implies shifts in policy under the Trump administration are behind the decreasing enrollment. But HHS Administration for Children and Families spokesman told the paper that recent rises are due to factors in individual states.“I went to the E.R. thinking he had insurance. If the receptionist had not seen him turning blue, she might have just said, ‘He’s not covered, so we can’t see him today.’ I do think about that.,” Karen Johnson, the boy’s mother, told The Times. The nine-month old was taken to the intensive care unit for a respiratory virus, treated successfully, and later released.The rest of the story also undercuts Omar’s initial tweet, as the Times reports that “Trump administration officials have not explicitly tried to limit children’s Medicaid coverage.” After an appointment with an enrollment counselor, it was revealed that Johnson had missed a window to provide proof of income to re-enroll her three children.The Johnson’s are now re-enrolled successfully, and Karen is counting on Medicaid to cover the hospital bills retroactively.Medicaid retroactively covers eligible patients up to three months after the month of application.

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Ex-U.S. Marine accused of spying in Russia says guard threatened him with gun: Ifax

A former U.S. Marine held in Russia on suspicion of spying told a court on Thursday that a prison guard had forced him to his knees in custody and that he had been threatened with a gun, the Interfax news agency reported. Paul Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in December and accused of espionage. At a hearing on Thursday, the court ordered Whelan held in custody until Dec. 29.

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'White terror': Hong Kong's China critics beaten in targeted attacks

The men jumped Stanley Ho without warning, smashing both his hands with metal rods -- one of multiple recent attacks against prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy figures that activists have dubbed a "white terror". Since late August, eight well-known pro-democracy figures have been beaten by unknown assailants as fear swirls that some "triad" crime networks have flocked to Beijing's cause after five months of protests. "The cause of the attack may be related to two things -- the upcoming district council election and the ongoing movement," Ho told AFP, referring to the protests.

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The candidates who've qualified for November Democratic debate

The Democratic National Committee announced its fifth presidential debate will be held in Georgia in November

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Right-wing pastor says Trump supporters will 'hunt down' Democrats when he leaves office

President Donald Trump's supporters will "hunt down" Democrats and bring "violence to America" once the president leaves office, according to right-wing Christian pastor and conspiracy theorist Rick Wiles.On his apocalyptic TruNews programme, captured by Right Wing Watch, Mr Wiles said the president's impeachment or "however he leaves" office will inspire "veterans, cowboys, mountain men" and "guys that know how to fight" to bring "violence to America" by hunting down Mr Trump's political enemies.

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Report documents decades of abuse by Colorado's Catholic priests

At least 166 children have been sexually abused at the hands of 43 Roman Catholic priests in Colorado since 1950, an investigative report disclosed on Wednesday, far exceeding the scope of the scandal previously documented in the state. The scathing 263-page report, presented by former U.S. Attorney Robert Troyer, accused the Archdiocese of Denver and the Dioceses of Pueblo and Colorado Springs of fostering a culture of secrecy that placed the reputations of offending clergy and church leaders over the welfare of children. “This dynamic in the Colorado Dioceses was a severe impediment to the protection of children, and it is one (they) are not done addressing,” the independent report said.

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V.A. Office to Protect Whistle-Blowers Targeted Them Instead, Report Finds

By BY JENNIFER STEINHAUER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/32LmslI

Vulnerable Senate Republicans Shrink From Defending Trump

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Justice Dept. Is Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Its Own Russia Investigation

By BY KATIE BENNER AND ADAM GOLDMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2qGpAkB