| Russia, China and Iran seeking to influence US elections, top intelligence official says Posted: 07 Aug 2020 05:44 PM PDT  Statement says China is opposed to Trump but offers more concrete evidence of Russia's efforts to undermine BidenRussia is backing Donald Trump, China is supporting Joe Biden and Iran is seeking to sow chaos in the US presidential election, a top intelligence official has warned in a sobering assessment of foreign meddling.The statement on Friday by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, raises fears of a repeat of the 2016 election, when Russia manipulated social media to help Trump and hurt his opponent Hillary Clinton."Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment'," Evanina said. "This is consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration's policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia."Evanina identified Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician, as "spreading claims about corruption – including through publicized leaked phone calls" to attack Biden's campaign. The Washington Post reported that Derkach has met repeatedly with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who has pushed conspiracy theories about the former vice-president.Evanina also warned that some "Kremlin-linked actors" were spreading false claims about corruption to undermine Biden, while others were trying to "boost President Trump's candidacy via social media and Russian television".Evanina, the top intelligence official monitoring threats to the election, is a Trump appointee. His statement lists China before Russia but presents less specific evidence of direct interference by Beijing."We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win re-election," Evanina said. "China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China's interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China."He added: "Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race."Evanina highlighted China's criticism of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the closure of China's consulate in Houston and the White House responses to Chinese actions in Hong Kong and the South China Sea. On Friday, the US imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, and 10 other senior officials. Trump has also ordered crackdowns on the Chinese owners of the popular apps TikTok and WeChat.Iran, meanwhile, was seeking to undermine US democratic institutions and Trump, and to divide the country ahead of the 2020 elections, Evanina's statement said."Iran's efforts along these lines probably will focus on on-line influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-US content. Tehran's motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump's reelection would result in a continuation of US pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change."Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear deal agreed by Barack Obama and imposed various sanctions on Tehran.The anti-Trump pressure group National Security Action denied that China's public actions rose to the level of Russia's covert election interference. "Jarringly, the statement attempted to minimize what Russia is doing – again attacking our democracy in a bid to secure Trump's reelection – by comparing it to China's public criticism of the administration's recent punitive measures against Beijing," a spokesperson, Ned Price, said. "Any interference in our democracy is unacceptable, but there is no equivalence between the two efforts."In a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Friday evening, Trump reacted to the assessment by insisting: "I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody's been tougher on Russia than I have, ever. "China would love us to have an election where Donald Trump lost to 'Sleepy' Joe Biden. They would own our country. If Joe Biden was president, China would own our country ... Iran would love to see me not be president." The president added: "I'll make this statement. If and when we win, we will make deals with Iran very quickly. We'll make deals with North Korea very quickly. Whatever happened to the war in North Korea? You haven't seen that, have you?"A hacking and social media campaign by Russia in 2016 is credited by US intelligence with helping Trump to victory. It triggered the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which described Russian meddling but did not conclude that there had been direct collusion by Trump or his campaign.The November election is already under siege from the coronavirus pandemic, concerns over whether the system can handle a surge in mail-in voting and constant attacks by Trump on the integrity of the process.Evanina warned that foreign adversaries may try to interfere with election systems by trying to sabotage the voting process, stealing election data or questioning the validity of results: "Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy."The report raised concern on Capitol Hill. Marco Rubio and Mark Warner, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said they "encourage political leaders on all sides to refrain from weaponizing intelligence matters for political gain".Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, said: "It is no surprise our adversaries have preferences in our elections. Foreign nations have tried to influence our politics throughout American history. As Director Evanina's statement makes clear, Russian malign influence efforts remain a significant threat. But it would be a serious mistake to ignore the growing threats posed by China and Iran."
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| MV Wakashio: Ship aground off Mauritius begins leaking oil Posted: 07 Aug 2020 04:48 PM PDT  Mauritius declares a state of emergency after Japanese-owned carrier MV Wakashio starts leaking oil.
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| Coronavirus in South Africa: Why the vuvuzelas fell silent Posted: 07 Aug 2020 04:09 PM PDT  The country's fight against Covid-19 was initially celebrated, but the public mood has now soured.
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| UN: Up to 9 children killed by airstrikes in northern Yemen Posted: 07 Aug 2020 03:43 PM PDT |
| Russia trying to hurt Biden while China, Iran work to damage Trump before election: U.S. intel Posted: 07 Aug 2020 03:07 PM PDT  The U.S. intelligence community provided the clearest picture yet Friday of how foreign countries are trying to influence November's election, charging that Russia is seeking to "denigrate" Joe Biden while China and Iran are working to undermine President Trump. William Evanina, the Trump-appointed director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, provided the assessment in a rare statement that broke down each country's alleged interference schemes. Russia is pursuing efforts that echo its attack on the 2016 U.S. election, Evanina said.
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| Bipartisan group of senators introduce bill to stop Trump from allowing drone sales to Saudis, fearing an arms race with Iran Posted: 07 Aug 2020 02:02 PM PDT  The senators are concerned selling drones to the Saudis could exacerbate the Yemen conflict and fuel an arms race with Iran.
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| Intelligence community warns Russia wants to hurt Biden, while China 'prefers' Trump not be reelected Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:51 PM PDT  Following a push from Democratic lawmakers to be more forthcoming in declassifying evidence of foreign interference in the upcoming presidential election, a top counterintelligence official on Friday published new, specific details about how Russia, China and Iran are seeking to manipulate American voters.
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| Endangered Brazilian monkeys get a bridge to themselves Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:37 PM PDT  The overpass juts from a forest over a four-lane highway in a rural area outside Rio de Janeiro. It's meant for a very special sort of pedestrian: golden lion tamarins, small orange primates that for decades have been at risk of extinction. About 20 meters (65 feet) wide and twice as long, the bridge connects the Poco de Dantas biological reserve in Rio state's Silva Jardim municipality with a farm that the Golden Lion Tamarin Association acquired to transform into an ecological park.
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| Top U.S. intel official: China wants Trump defeated, Russia is sabotaging Biden Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:29 PM PDT  Kremlin-linked operatives are trying to boost President Donald Trump's candidacy while China wants to see him defeated, the top U.S. counterintelligence official said Friday in a strikingly detailed update on American intelligence assessments about foreign preferences in the upcoming presidential election. Bill Evanina, a former FBI agent who is leading election security efforts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, provided new information about what U.S. intelligence analysts have determined regarding the election interference goals of China, Russia and Iran. Evanina said the Russians, in a reprise of the 2016 presidential election, were once again trying to help Trump by sabotaging his opponent.
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| Intelligence official says Russia and China are lining up on opposite sides of the U.S. election Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:28 PM PDT  A top intelligence official says Russia is using a "range of measures" to take down former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election, while China prefers that President Trump doesn't win.William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, released a statement on Friday detailing the "intentions and activities" of U.S. adversaries in the presidential election, which describes how intelligence officials are "concerned" primarily about China, Russia, and Iran.By the U.S. assessment, China "prefers that President Trump — whom Beijing sees as unpredictable — does not win re-election," Evanina wrote. Additionally, Russia is "using a range of measures to primarily denigrate" Biden, and "some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television," the statement said.Finally, Evanina said that Iran seeks to "undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections," driven by its belief that Trump being re-elected would "result in a continuation of U.S. pressure."Senate Intelligence Committee Acting Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Friday said this statement "highlights some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election." They also said that additional information has been provided to members of Congress in recent weeks and that more of it "can, and at the appropriate time should, be shared with the voting public."More stories from theweek.com Biden campaign reportedly making 'ruthless cuts' to convention speaking list The case against American truck bloat Gates Foundation donates $150 million to push coronavirus vaccine doses below $3
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| How ‘success’ of a tough US policy on Iran has benefited China Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:24 PM PDT |
| US intelligence warns China opposes Trump's re-election but Russia is working against Biden Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:09 PM PDT  US intelligence agencies have issued an update on election meddling which warns that Russia is seeking to undercut Joe Biden but China and Iran are trying to undermine Donald Trump. The statement said that Moscow is using a "range of measures" to "primarily denigrate" Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who is seen as part of the "anti-Russia establishment". But it also says that Beijing prefers that Mr Trump "does not win reelection" and sees him as "unpredictable", while Tehran is opposing the president due to his hardline "pressure campaign" towards it. The remarks were issued by William Evanina, director of the US National Counterintelligence and Security Centre, who is helping lead the American intelligence efforts against election meddling. The 900-word statement, headlined 'Election threat update for the American people', spells out in detail how the three countries are attempting to influence the election.
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| U.S. counterspy chief warns Russia, China, Iran trying to meddle in 2020 election Posted: 07 Aug 2020 01:06 PM PDT |
| North Carolina to relax 10-person limit for GOP convention Posted: 07 Aug 2020 12:56 PM PDT  North Carolina will ease gathering restrictions for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte this month after a push by the national party for the state to be more accommodating. The RNC has estimated it would have no more than 500 delegates per day at the Charlotte Convention Center and the Westin hotel. In a letter written to the RNC on Thursday, the state's health director and chief medical officer, Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, said the Department of Health and Human Services understands more than 10 people may need to assemble indoors to conduct party business.
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| Harleys everywhere, masks nowhere: Sturgis draws thousands Posted: 07 Aug 2020 12:50 PM PDT  Thousands of bikers poured into the small South Dakota city of Sturgis on Friday as the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally rumbled to life despite fears it could lead to a massive coronavirus outbreak. The rally could become one of the largest public gatherings since the pandemic began, with organizers expecting 250,000 people from all over the country to make their way through Sturgis during the 10-day event.
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| Canada's last intact ice shelf collapses due to warming Posted: 07 Aug 2020 12:38 PM PDT  Much of Canada's remaining intact ice shelf has broken apart into hulking iceberg islands thanks to a hot summer and global warming, scientists said. Canada's 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island had been the country's last intact ice shelf until the end of July when ice analyst Adrienne White of the Canadian Ice Service noticed that satellite photos showed that about 43% of it had broken off. The biggest is nearly the size of Manhattan — 21 square miles (55 square kilometers) and 7 miles long (11.5 kilometers).
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| Russia targets Biden in election-meddling effort, U.S. intelligence says Posted: 07 Aug 2020 12:26 PM PDT  In a preelection report, the director of national intelligence's office says Russia is actively trying to denigrate Joe Biden, China "prefers" that President Trump loses reelection, and Iran is seeking to undermine U.S. democracy.
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| China and Iran trying to undermine Trump re-election while Russia looking to hurt Biden, top US intelligence official says Posted: 07 Aug 2020 12:20 PM PDT  A top US counterintelligence official has issued a public statement warning that foreign states are continuing to use both overt and covert methods to influence the 2020 election.William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre, raises specific concerns over activity by China, Russia and Iran.
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| US intel: Russia acting against Biden; China opposes Trump Posted: 07 Aug 2020 11:56 AM PDT  U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trump's reelection bid, the country's counterintelligence chief said Friday in the most specific warning to date about the threat of foreign interference. U.S. officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and has accelerated its criticism of the White House, expanding its efforts to shape public policy in America and to pressure political figures seen as opposed to Beijing's interests.
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| Trump news - China, Iran and Russia all exposed to be interfering in the US election as Covid rescue bill falters in Congress Posted: 07 Aug 2020 10:04 AM PDT  President Donald Trump could issue executive orders to address student loans, jobless benefits and the eviction moratorium after talks with Congressional Democrats regarding a coronavirus relief bill broke down on Friday.A top US counterintelligence official has issued a public statement saying that China and Iran prefer that president Donald Trump does not win re-election; while Russia is seeking to hurt former vice president Joe Biden's electoral chances.
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| US imposes sanctions on leader Carrie Lam over Hong Kong crackdown Posted: 07 Aug 2020 09:58 AM PDT  * Other senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials sanctioned by US * Tensions between Beijing and Washington escalate sharplyThe US government has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, and 10 other senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials, in response to the crackdown on free speech and political freedoms in the city, the US treasury department said.The measures are among the most high-profile taken by the US administration in a broad campaign to challenge China at home and internationally, as tensions between the world's two largest economies escalate sharply.In addition to Lam, the sanctioned Hong Kong officials include the current and former head of the city's police force – criticised by protesters for its brutal tactics – and the cabinet secretaries for justice, Teresa Cheng, and security, John Lee Ka-chiu.From the mainland, targets include Luo Huining, who heads the Hong Kong liaison office and is the most senior Chinese figure in the city, and Zheng Yenxiong, a hardliner appointed to the newly created position of security chief."The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy," said the secretary of the treasury, Steven Mnuchin.It is relatively unusual for Washington to directly a sanction the leader of a country or region and the move puts Lam in company with Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The sanctions have been brought in under an executive order that Donald Trump signed last month, in response to China's introduction of a sweeping new security law in Hong Kong.Beijing said the law was needed to restore stability and would not threaten Hong Kong's freedom of expression. But it has already been used to crush dissent, cited in the barring of moderate pro-democratic candidates from elections, the arrest of teens for social media posts, and the suppression of popular protest slogans.It has been widely condemned by western governments, and has led many to reconfigure their relationship with Hong Kong, including ending extradition agreements. The US has ended special economic status for the city, which is likely to batter an economy already badly damaged by Covid-19."This law, purportedly enacted to 'safeguard' the security of Hong Kong, is in fact a tool of Chinese Communist Party repression," said the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, after the sanctions were announced.He is one of a group of China hawks in the Trump administration, along with the trade adviser, Peter Navarro, and deputy national security adviser, Matthew Pottinger, who recently appear to have gained the upper hand in the White House.The coronavirus pandemic, the suppression of dissent in Hong Kong and increasing information about the mass internment of Uighurs and other minorities in western Xinjiang have all been cited as reasons for the shift in Washington's stance.These latest sanctions come the day after Trump announced that he would ban transactions with the Chinese companies that own popular apps TikTok and WeChat.Last month the administration also imposed sanctions on a senior Chinese communist party official, Chinese companies and a paramilitary government organisation it alleged were complicit in forced labour and other abuses in the western Xinjiang region.US and Chinese officials are due to meet in mid-August to discuss how to revive a partial trade deal agreed in January, amid US allegations that Beijing is not keeping its promises on buying US agricultural products and energy.But hopes of success are limited. Trump has said his support for the deal has been undermined by China's role in the coronavirus outbreak, and his re-election campaign has so far leaned heavily on anti-Chinese rhetoric.There was no immediate response to the sanctions from Hong Kong or Beijing. Lam has previously said she is not worried about sanctions. "I have no assets in the US, and I don't particularly like going to the US. If they won't grant me a visa, then I will just not go there," she said in a TV interview last month.
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| State Department: We're responsible for Russian, Iranian text message campaign Posted: 07 Aug 2020 09:19 AM PDT  The U.S. State Department said on Friday that it was responsible for a text message campaign that left a trail of confusion and ridicule across Russia and Iran.
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| EU mulls offering British expats additional freedom of movement rights Posted: 07 Aug 2020 09:10 AM PDT  British people living in the EU when the Brexit transition period ends will be given additional freedom of movement rights under plans being considered by Brussels. European Commission officials are mulling plans that will allow British citizens living in an EU country at the end of 2020 deadline to move to and work in another country in the bloc in a similar fashion to EU citizens. The unilateral offer is expected to come with strings such as a requirement to show five years continuous residence in the EU. Details of the offer on onward free movement were explained at a Thursday meeting of the EU-UK Joint Specialised Committee on citizens rights, Politico reported. "We received good news on combining our Withdrawal Agreement status with other EU immigration statuses, which should provide some UK citizens in the EU with some further mobility rights," Fiona Godfrey, co-chair of the British in Europe campaign told the news website. "We now need clarity on how those rights will be evidenced." There are about 1.1 million British citizens living in the EU. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, they would only be granted residence rights in the EU country they lived in, rather than keep free movement rights for the whole bloc. EU citizens living in the UK must apply for settled status to secure their residency rights in Britain. There have been 3.7 million applications and more are expected ahead of the June 30 deadline next year. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said, "Citizens' rights has been an absolute priority and the Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of UK nationals living in the EU by the end of the transition period on December 31 2020, ensuring that they can continue to live their lives in the EU broadly as they did before."
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| UK and Japan look to seal trade deal within month Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:59 AM PDT  The two sides say the "major elements" of a post-Brexit agreement are in place after productive talks.
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| Plane skids off runway in India; 16 killed, dozens hurt Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:55 AM PDT  A special flight carrying Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus back home skidded off a hilltop runway and split in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala, killing at least 16 people and injuring 123 more, police said. The dead included one of the pilots of the Air India Express flight, and at least 15 of the injured were in critical condition, said Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer. The 2-year-old Boeing 737-800 flew from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, in Kerala, India's southernmost state, the airline said.
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| Virus resistant: World's Longest Yard Sale still lines roads Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:43 AM PDT  For decades, thousands of vendors have fanned out along roadsides from Alabama to Michigan each summer to haggle over the prices of old Coca-Cola bottles, clothes, toys, knives and more at The World's Longest Yard Sale. From there, it meanders through northwest Georgia to Noccalula Falls, a 250-acre (100-hectare) public park in Gadsden.
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| Cuomo clears New York schools statewide to open, carefully Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:43 AM PDT  New York schools can bring children back to classrooms for the start of the school year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday, citing success in battling the coronavirus in the state that once was the U.S. heart of the pandemic. "Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established," Cuomo told reporters. Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week, while learning at home the rest of the time.
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| Iran indifferent to Trump envoy's quitting amid embargo push Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:32 AM PDT |
| 'Aggressive action' needed as Africa coronavirus cases pass 1m Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT  South Africa has more than half of all Covid-19 cases, while Tanzania's lack of data is a "concern".
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| Global Force Sensors Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2020 08:00 AM PDT |
| Appeals court revives House lawsuit for McGahn's testimony Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:50 AM PDT  A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday revived House Democrats' lawsuit to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee, but left other legal issues unresolved with time growing short in the current Congress. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-2 in ruling that the House Judiciary Committee can make its claims in court, reversing the judgment of a three-judge panel that would have ended the court fight.
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| Ford, Bush presidential adviser Brent Scowcroft dies at 95 Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:30 AM PDT  Brent Scowcroft, who played a prominent role in American foreign policy as national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush and was a Republican voice against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has died, a Bush spokesperson said Friday. Scowcroft died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, spokesperson Jim McGrath said. Scowcroft was the only person to serve as national security adviser to two different administrations.
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| Squirrel AI Learning Wins UNESCO AI Innovation Award Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:30 AM PDT  Recently, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted Squirrel AI Learning the "AI Innovation Award" for the Mobile Learning Week 2020 under the theme "Artificial intelligence and Inclusion" in order to affirm Squirrel AI Learning's role as a leader in promoting personalized high-quality learning with AI recognition of learning patterns. UNESCO recognizes the value of this innovation in the contribution towards the direction of more inclusion and equity in education. Other winners of this award include Google, University College London (UCL) and Tomorrow Advancing Life (TAL).
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| Palestinians say woman killed in Israeli raid in West Bank Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:25 AM PDT |
| Global Froth Flotation Chemicals Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:20 AM PDT |
| Global FRP Grating Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| Job losses, fear of virus complicate Latino voter hopes Posted: 07 Aug 2020 06:47 AM PDT  Every day, 29-year-old Maico Olivares tries to call about 25 people, mostly within the Latino community, to persuade them to register to vote. Olivares shares concerns with Latino advocates around the country who worry that the virus' effect on Latinos, who have seen high rates of infection and unemployment, will keep them from the polls this year.
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| Global FRP Tanks Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2020 06:40 AM PDT |
| AP Exclusive: Woman is 1st in US to get 2nd face transplant Posted: 07 Aug 2020 06:33 AM PDT  Carmen Blandin Tarleton, whose face was disfigured in an attack by her ex-husband, became the first American and only the second person globally to undergo the procedure after her first transplant began to fail six years after the operation. The transplant from an anonymous donor took place at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital in July. The 52-year-old former nurse is expected to resume her normal routine, which all but ended when the first transplant failed a year ago.
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| Winfrey demanding justice for Breonna Taylor with billboards Posted: 07 Aug 2020 06:18 AM PDT  First, Oprah Winfrey put Breonna Taylor on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine. Now the media mogul is spreading her message with billboards demanding justice for the Kentucky woman shot to death during a police raid. Twenty-six billboards displaying a portrait of Taylor are going up across Louisville, Kentucky, demanding that the police officers involved in her death be arrested and charged, according to social justice organization Until Freedom.
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| Global Fume Hood Monitors Industry Posted: 07 Aug 2020 05:40 AM PDT |
| Brag and name drop: How to project credibility as workplace meetings move online Posted: 07 Aug 2020 05:35 AM PDT  COVID-19 has altered nearly every aspect of American life, including the workplace. For millions of Americans, the kitchen or the living room now doubles as the office and conference room. This workspace shift, likely to last long past the pandemic, offers some conveniences, of course, but it also teems with potential pitfalls. Traditional tactics for achieving credibility in presentations – audience interaction and engaging body language, for example – are not accessible when you appear on a laptop or smartphone screen.Suddenly, what you say carries more weight than ever. As an English language studies professor, I wanted to understand how presenters build credibility, so I analyzed the transcripts of 30 panel discussions at the Brookings Institution in 2019 to glean the verbal strategies used by foreign affairs experts. While I have carefully dissected these strategies as a specialist in public speaking skills, they boil down to a simple message for anyone delivering a presentation via a digital screen: Brag and name drop. 11 strategies for building credibilityHere are specific examples of the many techniques I detected.1\. Prestigious affiliation: Establishes ties to a prestigious organization. Kathleen Hicks, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, does that here: "…the conclusion of the commission on which I serve, the National Defense Strategy Commission, and certainly the work I do in my job at CSIS…" 2\. Prestigious title: Names impressive position titles. Yael Tamir, a professor at the University of Oxford, stated, "I was a minister of immigration (in Israel) about 12 years ago…" 3\. Disciplinary expertise: Highlights area of professional expertise. Suzanne Maloney, deputy director of foreign policy at Brookings, said, "From my perspective, as someone who works on Iranian internal politics and economics, and on the U.S.-Iran relationship…"4\. Professional identity: Claims affiliation with a professional community. Tamir, the Oxford professor, stated, "It all starts with the definition as we know, as we political theorists know…"5\. Professional experience: Underscores the breadth or impact of professional experience. Jeannine Scott, of the nonprofit Constituency for Africa, emphasized a résumé few have: "If you've engaged with the Continent as I have for over 30 years now…"6\. Professional accomplishments: Highlights career achievements, as Lynn Rusten, a vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, did: "What's interesting is the original START Treaty, which I also helped negotiate…"7\. Educational experience: Mentions educational institution attended, area studied or degree earned. Adam La Reau, a Navy veteran, said the following: "I went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy…"8\. Self-citation: Cites one's own public comments. Brett McGurk, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated: "I was on record in 2013 about this rising threat and I testified…" 9\. Prominent connections: Mentions interactions with prominent individuals, as McGurk did: "And walking into a meeting with President Obama and the national security team, I got a phone call from a very senior Iraqi official who said…"10\. Professional reputation: Shows that others seek their expertise, like Jung Pak, a senior fellow at the Center for East Asia Policy Studies: "During the Fire and Fury days (President Trump's threat against North Korea in 2017), I got lots of phone calls from friends from New York, to the Midwest, to L.A. wondering about whether they should go on their business trip…"11\. Personal background: Discloses religion, nationality, ethnicity or other personal characteristics. Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at Brookings, said: "This was a very minoritarian take on Islam, and in my view as a Muslim myself, a perverted one." Using the strategiesThese strategies were typically used as additional information within a sentence. For example, if Maloney, the senior fellow at Brookings, were to cut her disciplinary expertise in the following sentence – the phrase within the commas – it would still make rational sense: "From my perspective, as someone who works on Iranian internal politics and economics and on the U.S.-Iran relationship, we are coming at the end of a long period of limbo."Maloney avoids sounding arrogant by not featuring her disciplinary expertise in a separate sentence, an important point for those who wish to build credibility – but not sound pretentious. Creating community: 'We see'Speakers often used the expression "we see" to deepen affiliation with an expert community and make nonbiased observations. In this excerpt, Bilyana Petkova, a fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, illustrates her insider information about the data privacy field: "So, in the data privacy field, we see how this dynamic has played out a role in the E.U., where the first data privacy statute was adopted in the German locality of Hassan…"Using "we" rather than "I" helps speakers relate their observations to those of experts and reduce perceptions that they are sharing a biased view. Elevating stature: 'If you'Speakers often emphasized exclusive knowledge or professional experience by using the phrase "if you."Dennis Wilder, managing director of the U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, said: "One of the things to understand if you haven't been involved in a presidential visit to a place like Beijing…" With this phrase, he builds his stature by pointing to his prestigious experience.[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation's science newsletter.]Panelists drew this expert-novice distinction in other ways, too. They emphasized familiarity with current events, for example, with phrases such as "If you look at what the intelligence community and the Department of Defense have been saying" and "If you look at the U.S. and Russian statements… this week." It's not just the knowledge we hold that builds credibility – how we communicate that knowledge is also imperative. With companies like Facebook paving the way for permanent remote work, Americans will be forced to rethink how we achieve credibility in workplace presentations. Amid the uncertainty created by the pandemic, what's certain is that verbal communication strategies will become even more critical to our perceived competence and success.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * 8 simple strategies to fuel your body during a pandemic * 4 weird things that happen when you videoconferenceLisa Leopold does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| 27 dead in Mauritania migrant boat disaster: UN Posted: 07 Aug 2020 05:14 AM PDT  Twenty-seven people died after the engines on their migrant vessel failed, leaving them stranded off the coast of Mauritania, the United Nations said on Friday. The UN's refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement that they were "deeply saddened at the tragic death of 27 people". A boat en route towards Spain's Canary Islands ran into engine trouble between the northern Mauritanian city of Nouadhibou and the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara, according to the statement.
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| Will Macron Deliver on His Lofty Promises to Help Beirut? Posted: 07 Aug 2020 05:03 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- There were moments during Emmanuel Macron's visit to Beirut on Thursday when it seemed that the French president was in a mosh pit, crowd-surfing over waves of adulation and anger: The adulation was for him, and far more than he might reasonably expect from a Parisian throng; the anger was for the entire Lebanese political class, who are being collectively blamed for the devastating blasts that shattered much of the city on Tuesday. It is easy enough to cavil, as some have, that Macron's walkabout in the Gemmayzeh neighborhood was political theater. He was always going to get a friendlier reception in a Francophile quarter of East Beirut than, say, in the southern suburbs controlled by Hezbollah.But there is no gainsaying the fact that the French president did what few local leaders have cared (or dared) to: listen to the grievances of a traumatized people and promise to help.In Gemmayzeh and later at a press conference in the French embassy, Macron said all the right things: The Lebanese were not alone in their grief, he would rally international donors to help rebuild their damaged capital, and the money would not go to the "corrupt hands" of their politicians. He pledged to return to Beirut on Sept. 1 to personally verify that French aid, funneled through non-governmental organizations, is going "directly to the people of Lebanon."He also called for an international investigation into the blasts, "to make sure nothing remains hidden and no doubts linger."It was Macron at his most statesmanlike, speaking not only for France but for the wider world, and promising to cut through a geopolitical Gordian knot. But the president has a poor track record in turning rhetoric into results.His attempt to mediate the U.S.-Iranian confrontation last year earned him only scorn from both sides. His recent finger-pointing over Libya's civil war has spared him no blushes. His enthusiasm for the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa has left French forces in what looks like a quagmire.He may feel on firmer ground in Lebanon, a former French protectorate. In an interview, Macron said if France did not play its part, "other powers may interfere whether it be Iran, Saudi Arabia or Turkey."He need not worry about competition, though. No other world leader is auditioning for the role of Beirut's savior. France could, if Macron were so minded, bail out Lebanon's stricken economy by itself. Then he wouldn't have to deal with an ornery Trump or an obstinate Erdogan — or even an overcautious Angela Merkel.But he would have to reckon with Lebanon's obstreperous politicians, who are averse to any political and economic reforms that might whittle away their privileges, such as the freedom to loot the state's resources. Macron said the country needed a "new political initiative." It will take rather more than finger-wagging to keep those "corrupt hands" from the till. The president will have to knock some heads together, as well.And the hardest head belongs to Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's obdurate leader. He is the reason most world leaders have been leery of involving themselves in Lebanon's economic crisis. Iran-backed Hezbollah has its tentacles in almost every aspect of the Lebanese state — including the Beirut port, where the blasts took place — and a powerful militia with which to protect its interests.In his press conference, Macron called on Hezbollah to back reforms and think of Lebanon's interest rather those of Iran. But that would require Nasrallah to change the habit of a lifetime.And then, there are the Lebanese people. Traumatized by their latest tragedy and desperate for change, they will cling to Macron's promises and want to see action before his Sept 1 return to Beirut. If he fails to deliver, the streets of Gemmayzeh may not be so welcoming the second time around.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| President's virus swagger fuels anger ahead of Belarus vote Posted: 07 Aug 2020 04:45 AM PDT  As Kseniya Milya's grandfather lay dying of COVID-19 at a hospital in Belarus' capital of Minsk, the country's authoritarian leader was blithely dismissing the pandemic as "psychosis," and recommending an unusual remedy: Have a regular shot of vodka and work hard in the fields. Like many other Belarusians angry with the government's cavalier approach to the pandemic, Milya joined large opposition protests ahead of Sunday's presidential vote in which President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term. The outpouring of public discontent poses the most serious challenge yet to Lukashenko after 26 years in office.
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| 'The world exploded': Beirut blast takes a husband, father Posted: 07 Aug 2020 04:26 AM PDT  Soha Saade had not seen her husband since Christmas. The coronavirus pandemic had kept 44-year-old Jihad in Nigeria, where he worked far from his family in Beirut. When smoke billowed outside the hospital window Tuesday, the couple lamented Beirut's pollution and disorder.
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| What we know about the explosion in Beirut Posted: 07 Aug 2020 04:11 AM PDT  Three days after a massive explosion rocked Beirut, killing at least 149 people and causing widespread devastation, rescuers are still searching for survivors and the government is investigating what caused the disaster. The government, which defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, has been negotiating an emergency bailout from the International Monetary Fund for months, but the talks faltered over Lebanese infighting and resistance to demands for reform.
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| 10 things you need to know today: August 7, 2020 Posted: 07 Aug 2020 03:56 AM PDT |
| How the U.S. Will Try to Extend the Arms Embargo on Iran Posted: 07 Aug 2020 03:30 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Next week the U.S. will try to get the U.N. Security Council to do something it has been trying to get its allies to support for the last year: Extend the U.N.'s conventional arms embargo against Iran, which is slated to expire in October. The resolution will almost certainly fail, but that doesn't mean America's Iran policy has to be a failure.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. would introduce the resolution on Wednesday, a day before he announced that his senior envoy on Iran policy, Brian Hook, would be leaving. The U.N. Security Council would make an "absolute mockery" of its mission to maintain international peace and security, Pompeo said, "if it allowed the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism to buy and sell weapons freely."Pompeo is not wrong. One of the many flaws of the 2015 Iran deal is that it allowed for the arms embargo to expire in the first place. That concession was in part at the behest of China and Russia, which were part of the negotiations, and the two nations are likely to use their veto at the Security Council to scuttle the resolution. Thus the U.S. strategy to extend the embargo is destined to fail.U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft has acknowledged as much. "Russia and China are going to be who they are," she told me in an interview this week at the Aspen Security Forum. "I'm not going to be able to change their minds. However, what we can do is change the way other countries look to them and look at them, and that's what's important." In other words, Pompeo's strategy in the short term is to shame two great-power rivals at the U.N.But Pompeo has another card to play. If and when the U.S. loses the U.N. vote to extend the arms embargo, it could still theoretically impose it — "snap back" is the diplomatic term — through a provision of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. As Pompeo told reporters Wednesday, that is "an option that's available to the United States, and we're going to do everything within America's power to ensure that that arms embargo is extended."On the surface, it's a strange maneuver. The snap-back provision of the U.N. Security Council resolution that codified the Iran nuclear deal was designed as a tool for states that were a party to that agreement. As Anthony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state and adviser to Joe Biden's presidential campaign, said this week at the Aspen Security Forum: "Snap back needs to be invoked by a participant in the deal."Others disagree. Richard Goldberg, who managed the maximum pressure campaign against Iran at the U.S. National Security Council, told me the U.N. resolution that codified the nuclear deal "was drafted precisely to defend the U.S. right to snap back, in any scenario, at any time." If Iran is in breach of its commitments, he said, the U.S. has the right to snap back previous resolutions that were lifted as a result of the nuclear deal — regardless of whether the U.S. remains a party to that agreement.Regardless of the legalities of the current or future conventional arms embargo against Iran, there is a very good chance that Russia and China will move to arm the Iranians anyway. International law has not stood in the way of these countries before. China has already begun discussions for closer security partnership with Iran.For now, Pompeo's play at the U.N. is mainly symbolic. As Craft told me, the rest of the world will see that China and Russia "have blood on their hands." But anyone who's paid attention for the last 75 years probably knew that already.The most realistic strategy for the U.S. moving forward — under either Trump or Biden — will have to be unilateral. It's foolish to expect the U.N. to promote security and peace in the Middle East when two of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council do not have the same interests as the U.S. and its allies in the region.A better approach is for the U.S. to use its Navy, its allies and its vast intelligence capabilities to interdict arms shipments to Iran. The U.S. has used this strategy before, under President George W. Bush against North Korea. It should consider it again when it comes to Iran.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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