| Hong Kong’s Closed Schools Risk a Lost Generation Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Keeping schoolchildren home again this fall will come at a hefty price for families and economies around the world. In Hong Kong, authorities may be underestimating the cost.The government's decision to start the new academic year online after a resurgence in Covid-19 cases has generated little public discussion. That's a surprise, given that the poorest will suffer disproportionately from another prolonged shutdown, in what is already most of the most unequal societies on Earth. One in four children in Hong Kong lives in poverty, and most families own few books.Caution is appropriate when it comes to a virus that is often silent, especially in a densely populated city. Yet while Hong Kong has been quick to close schools and libraries, its malls and cafes are bustling. The $370 billion economy — battered by months of demonstrations last year, then a coronavirus pandemic and sweeping national security legislation — will suffer from this reflexive prudence. So, too, will all corners of Hong Kong society. Rich families and expatriates will move faster for the exits. The least wealthy, in a city with no real social security net, face the prospect of a lost generation of children marooned in tiny apartments, with insufficient privacy, technology and parental support.This isn't a blanket demand for classrooms to open in September. Hong Kong's wariness, even after quarantine failures that sparked the latest outbreak, has helped contain infections. School closures elsewhere have been associated with a drop in cases. Yet the burden already carried by Hong Kong's most disadvantaged, with a population under mental and economic strain even before the health crisis, suggests it is urgent to weigh the wider damage.The debate around when to resume face-to-face teaching is international. At one point in April, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as Unesco, estimated 1.5 billion kids were out of the classroom. There are few easy answers for policy makers. Israel returned to normal too fast back in May; seen from Asia, pictures of mask-free, packed school corridors in the U.S. are terrifying. Hong Kong's Gini coefficient — a measure of income inequality that ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 being perfect equality — stood at 0.54 in 2016, the widest gap in nearly half a century. After taking into account tax and social benefits, that dips to 0.47, still considerably worse than developed economies including the U.S. Research globally shows moving learning online widens that chasm.The first results from a major study at the University of Hong Kong did have good news last month: Questioned after the first coronavirus closures, teachers said students were by and large able to get through the required curriculum, and neither teaching staff nor parents saw long-term negative effects. Dig deeper, though, and the findings show students struggled to master complex concepts, while sustained online learning was seen to aggravate disadvantages. Only 55% of primary school students had sole access to a large-screen device, meaning almost half were sharing or had no access at all. For secondary students, almost one in four was sharing. The government has sought to mitigate that, with financial support for schools and students, and funds made available to help underprivileged children get adequate technology and internet access. The Education Bureau says HK$73 million ($9.4 million) was disbursed in the last academic year, through schools, to help with devices and accessories alone. That's a help, though with 281 schools participating, the average is hardly gargantuan. Anecdotal evidence from my working class neighborhood of Shek Kip Mei suggests that, in a city used to fending for itself, the information hasn't always trickled down. Technology is also only a partial solution — necessary, but not sufficient, especially for early learners. Primary school educators in particular said they struggled to interact with students; weaker ones, without support, became disengaged. Ethnic minorities fare worse.Scarred by SARS, Hong Kong moved laudably fast to close schools back in January. That doesn't mean it is right to continue fighting with the same weapons for the next 12 months or more. The longer the pandemic continues, the more glaring the costs. The American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated starting with the aim of getting children back to school, given the impact of staying home on their social and emotional development. That's before considering the impact on future earnings, the increased risk of older students dropping out and the effect on poorer women, who already struggle to join the workforce in Hong Kong. Oxfam's acting director for its Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan program, Wong Shek Hung, said job losses in a place where it isn't easy to qualify for state support had also left families cutting back on food, without free school lunches to fall back on. One advantage the former colony has is that schools have opened safely here before. Students trickled back from the end of May, after four months at home. My children, and thousands of others, were kept safe with social distancing, hand-washing and simple measures like eating lunch at home. With its latest outbreak coming under control, Hong Kong can certainly afford to reopen classrooms before bars, gyms and spas. It can also improve testing efforts.After teachers and students were subjects of controversy during the 2019 protests, with one in five of those arrested after last year's demonstrations under 18, the decision to keep schools closed might also appear politically convenient. In fact, Hong Kong's blunt approach probably has more to do with bureaucratic rigidity. Flexibility is hard, but necessary. A long-lasting pandemic, a battered economy and a traumatized generation demand it.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia.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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| Texas police say 3 officers shot, but in stable condition Posted: 16 Aug 2020 03:00 PM PDT  Three police officers were shot Sunday and a person remained barricaded inside a home located in a suburb of Austin, Texas, authorities said. The Cedar Park Police Department said on Twitter that officers were responding to a call at a home off Natalie Cove when three were shot. The officers were in stable condition at a local hospital, Interim Police Chief Mike Harmon said on Twitter.
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| Adviser Says Pres. Trump Won't Meet Putin Before Election Posted: 16 Aug 2020 01:30 PM PDT  National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Sunday that President Donald Trump is not inviting the Russian president to visit the U.S. before November's election. If Russia is a bad actor why does the president want a summit with Vladamir Putin in the United States before the election?
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| White House Adviser: President Won't Meet With Putin Prior To Election Posted: 16 Aug 2020 01:30 PM PDT National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Sunday that President Donald Trump is not inviting the Russian president to visit the U.S. before November's election. If Russia is a bad actor why does the president want a summit with Vladamir Putin in the United States before the election?
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| Mogadishu attack: Somali troops end deadly siege at Elite Hotel Posted: 16 Aug 2020 12:39 PM PDT  At least 10 people are dead after al-Shabab militants stormed the Elite Hotel in the capital.
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| Lightning sparks new wildfires across California Posted: 16 Aug 2020 11:50 AM PDT  A rare summer thunderstorm brought lightning that sparked several small blazes in Northern California on Sunday and stoked a huge forest fire that has forced hundreds of people from their homes north of Los Angeles. More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the wildfire, which was burning toward thick, dry brush in the Angeles National Forest. Firefighters already battling the blaze in steep, rugged terrain in scorching heat faced more hurdles Saturday when hundreds of lightning strikes and winds up to 15 mph (24 kph) pushed the flames uphill.
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| Trump plans to meet Putin before election to make case as world leader Posted: 16 Aug 2020 11:12 AM PDT  The president is planning to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even as American intelligence reports of a Russian campaign of election interference.
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| The Top 10 Leadership Coaches Leading The Way in 2020 Posted: 16 Aug 2020 10:44 AM PDT  Boost Media Agency Top 10 Leadership CoachesNew York City, New York, Aug. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- They say the best way to lead, is by example. With the world in chaos throughout 2020, leadership is more important now than ever. Not just from community leaders and those leading the world, but also displaying leadership in your home, and for your family. Like many other skills with the right guidance and direction, leadership can be learned. According to Boost Media Agency, a great coach is of utmost importance if you want to become the leader you truly desire. With the need for more leaders around the world, here we present the 10 leadership coaches leading the way in 2020:Mike Bledsoe (@mike_bledsoe) Known as 'The Strong Coach' and founder of 'The Bledsoe Show', Mike Bledsoe is a leadership coach who is an expert at guiding you to the connections between your own source, to live your best life and enjoy the process. Mike is a seeker of truth and perpetual student, who through his podcast spotlights premier thought leaders in the fields of emotional and intellectual expansion, behavior change, sexuality and alternative medicine, empowering you with the tools and inspiration to transform your mind, body, & spirit. Through his skills and range of qualifications, Mike offers programs for both leadership and business coaching, diving deep into the fundamentals of personal development, to help his clients cultivate a skill set for success. Mike is a natural born leader who has shown first hand what hard work can achieve, and the impact he has had on both his community and the world have been profound. If you're looking for a leadership coach to help you reach your goals, Mike Bledsoe has the breadth of knowledge and experience to get you there. Mariela De La Mora (@mariela.delamora) Over the last 15 years, Mariela De La Mora has helped companies ranging from Fortune 500s to start-ups build their branding in their respective industries, while recruiting and leading marketing teams across the globe. As a Mexican-American, she was generally the only woman of color in senior leadership. Now a well experienced leadership coach and business strategist, Mariela has dedicated her career to her mission of helping women, particularly those of color, to break glass ceilings, shift limiting beliefs, grow their careers and create thriving online businesses. "Women of color have very unique challenges that hold them back, and generally lack mentorship from other people of color who truly understand them," Mariela says. So now, Mariela has extended her knowledge, skills, and experience to help those women bridge that gap. As a coach, she starts with a mindset-first approach, breaking patterns of fear, scarcity, and the feeling of being "not enough". She then brings marketing and mindset together, mapping their goals to a strategy that will scale their business or catapult their careers. Mariela's unique experiences and strategies have helped her become a true leader in her industry, inspiring others to do the same. Johnny Elsasser (johnny.elsasser) Formerly a United States Special Operations Officer, Johnny Elsasser is now a leadership coach who helps his clients to transform their lives, and become the leader they're meant to be. After losing his own sense of purpose upon returning to the U.S. full time after his service in Iraq, Johnny became depressed, alone, and felt an emptiness he'd never experienced - which also led to a divorce. Through changing his own life, Johnny made it his mission to help as many men as possible own their masculinity in the way that honors them, and not what was created for them. "One of the best things I received from my years in special operations is that no matter what I was involved in, I knew I could succeed", Johnny explained. Johnny put his mind to the test, which has resulted in his Top 15 Men's podcast 'The Art of Masculinity', and he's been featured on numerous other podcasts including Tuff Love, Destined to Be, Think Yourself Healthy and others, on how to build a strong foundation in authentic masculinity. Johnny offers both 1:1 and group coaching, through his programs 'Where The Wild Men Grow' and "Masculine Identity and Leadership Building'. Having cultivated his new purpose through starting his own podcast to shed the light of how alpha men struggle and are open to growing together, Johnny has made a mark on the world that's been felt by many. Daniela Arango (@iamdanielaarango)Daniela Arango is a spiritual and leadership mentor for soul-driven women looking to build a life and business on their own terms. Through energy healing, feminine leadership techniques, and divine channelling, she helps women unlock their own spiritual clarity, energetic magic, and soul abundance. Daniela has scaled her 6-figure business through helping others awaken their spiritual vision with her modern approach to healing combined with ancient techniques from her personal experiences, making Daniela and her programs incredibly unique. Daniela turns esoteric concepts into practical tools that her clients can implement in their daily lives, radically changing the quality of their human experience. Her online healing meditation courses, 1:1 and group coaching sessions, and her signature 16-week mastermind course, "Own your Authenticity", are all tailored to guide women take on a journey of finding themselves that will help them steer from disbelief, breakdown any barriers and experience the spiritual realm on a personal level. She is also the co-host of 'Mystic Podcast', where she shares her life experiences and teaches how to bridge the gap between their everyday lives and spiritual selves. Daniela's mission is to share her gifts to empower women to unleash their genius and create a life that they desire. Sarah Rose (@spiritualceo) As an international conscious leadership coach, Sarah Rose is blazing a trail for conscious leaders and visionaries looking to catapult their spiritual businesses to new heights. As a serial entrepreneur, energy healer, and intuitive channel, Sarah combines her intuitive business strategies with powerful spiritual laws to help purpose-driven women come into Soul alignment, both personally and professionally. Sarah's clients often tell her that her spiritual approach to growing an online business is not like any other business coaching experience they have ever had. Working with clientele including empaths, mediums, energy healers, medical intuitives and channels, Sarah is a gifted channel and energy healer herself, and is able to provide the perfect synergistic blend of practical business strategy and energetic attunement, to boost her client's success on both the energetic and physical realms. Sarah's proven step-by-step Soul Aligned Success Business Method® inside her program, Sacred Leader Academy, allows her clients to fully step into their purpose-driven mission, speak their truth, and share their message with the world while building an online spiritual business. Sarah's specialty is helping people create transformational programs that truly utilize their unique talents, wisdom, and gifts and creating magnetic content online that attracts their dream clients. Sheena Polese (@fitmindcoaching) A leadership and development coach who specialises in working with women in leadership, Sheena Polese is passionate about accelerating the growth of women and supporting their advancement at all levels - both personally and professionally. Working intensively with both women and men in various industries, Sheena's extensive experience in coaching combined with her qualifications make her one of a kind. With an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School and a Master of Science in Psychology of Coaching from Sydney University, Sheena has been able to establish FitMind Coaching, a coaching firm that aims to facilitate growth and unleash the potential of people wanting to be an outstanding performer in their field. Using the principles of psychology and behavioural change, Sheena and her team-work with individuals or groups to support them in overcoming their challenges and struggles in achieving their goals. They assist their clients in identifying the cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and physiological experiences they need to develop constructive and realistic thinking in reaching their desired outcomes. They offer programs including 6-month Leadership Development, Wellbeing for Leaders, Performance and Mental toughness, Executive and Team coaching, and a range of psychometric and 360 assessments. Approximately 25% of their work is pro-bono for the non-profit sector, working with UNCHR (The United Nations High Commission for Refugees), The Hunger Project, Life Education, Hello Sunday Morning, Foundation for Young Australians, Reach, Raise and many more. Sheena has the breadth of experience to create profound and lasting changes in both leaders and their organizations. Kerry Kingham (@ktsbconsultingagency) Kerry Kingham is a senior sales and leadership professional with over 20 years of experience across a wide range of sectors including the government, banking, publishing, media and higher education. Kerry is fascinated with leadership, performance development and she is incredibly passionate about coaching emerging and established leaders in a variety of industries. So, in October 2018, she stepped out of her senior corporate leadership role and entered the world of consulting. Kerry founded KTSB Consulting and has taught leadership at an MBA level via the Australian Institute of Business, the largest MBA provider in Australia for nearly 2 years. Kerry's experience in the corporate world leading different teams, combined with her knowledge from years of teaching and lecturing enables her to deliver practical and actionable coaching. "Turning Potential into Reality" is how she describes her coaching style. Kerry's approach helps people get out of their own way, provides them with a different perspective and ultimately, shows them how to leverage their strengths and manage their blind spots. She uses social intelligence to understand the behaviour, mindset, and emotional intelligence to optimize interpersonal relationships which they need in leading people, businesses, and organizations. Katerina Arapis (@katarapis) An international, highly sought-after coach, speaker and trainer, Katerina Arapis has helped hundreds of people around the world become the best versions of themselves. Her list of qualifications is extensive, including NLP Master Practitioner, Master Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master Success Coach in the fields of Business, Leadership and personal development. Kat helps her clients contribute more and experience more pleasure, wealth and liberation in both their personal and professional lives. She coaches visionaries, leaders and entrepreneurs through group, personal and executive coaching and mentoring, as well as speaking, training and certification programs for individuals, teams, businesses and corporations. Between coaching her private and group clientele, to facilitating certifications and trainings, to delivering unique speaking engagements from all corners of the globe, Katerina travels all over the world while owning and operating The Inner Evolution Institute™, a personal development and leadership training company. Kat believes in an inside-out approach to creating and receiving all that you desire in life. "For nearly a decade, I've gone deep in reverse-engineering what makes the successful so successful - but in a way that's supportive of their pleasure, their priorities, their passions and their purpose" Kat explained. As an industry-leading expert in human transformation, Kat has worked with and studied under world-renowned teachers, gurus and leaders from all over the world, and is making a profound impact with her work. Anne Koopmann (@annekoopmann_leadlikeyou) With over 10 years of experience in the engineering field, Anne Koopman has learned first-hand what it takes to be a courageous leader. Her successful career as a senior leader in the manufacturing industry taught her how difficult it can be to be in a leadership role. With her commitment to excellence, she's been awarded Young Manufacturer of the Year at the Victorian Manufacturer's Hall of Fame. She's also been recognized as one of Australia's Most Innovative Engineers for her "Strengths in Diversity" team development program. Through the years she mastered how to completely embrace her unique strengths as a leader, which she now uses in her programs including her 12-week signature program called Lead Like YOU. It's a 1:1 courageous leadership program for leaders who want to stand for more — more authenticity, more vulnerability, and more confidence. As a leadership coach, lecturer, and speaker, Anne has worked with countless individuals and organizations, empowering them to be courageous leaders with the goal to inspire their people and create an impact. She believes that courageous leadership is all about embracing one's strengths, recognizing our imperfections, celebrating diversity, and knowing that we all have the power to drive change. As a certified CliftonStrengths, Emotional Intelligence and NLP Coach, Anne offers a variety of programs including 1:1 coaching, group and team programs, workshops and masterclasses. Anne's programs are for leaders who want to make a difference and are ready to step into their full potential. Nicole Wright (@womenwhosettleformore) A mom, mug, candle, prosecco and fresh flowers lover, Nicole Wright is a self-leadership mentor, who is incredibly passionate about personal development and bringing out the best in people. With her 14 years of experience in organizational development, coaching, training and mentoring, Nicole now helps professional women over 40 reignite their passion for life, set clear motivating goals and create the things they crave. "I am obsessed with helping women get MORE of whatever they desire—more love, more sex, more exercise, more influence, more meaningful friendships, more quality conversations, more job opportunities, more time with God, or "me" time. I believe if you desire it, then you can design it" Nicole explained. Nicole's authenticity and generosity are evident immediately upon seeing her social media pages, as she offers copious amounts of value for her large and loyal audience. Offering both 1:1 and group coaching, Nicole has worked with an extensive list of clients across countless industries. Nicole's work has been able to create profound transformations and have a huge impact on both the thousands of women she's served, and the world as a whole. Make sure to follow each of these incredible coaches, as they continue to thrive and help their clients grow. Each of their Instagram's have been directly linked here. Finally, we would like to thank Boost Media Agency for taking the time to put this article together. Media Details Contact: Lewis Schenk Company: Boost Media Agency Phone: 3106001787 Email: operations@boostmediaofficial.page Website: www.boostmediaofficial.page Attachment * Boost Media Agency
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| White House's Meadows says he accepts Harris eligible for VP Posted: 16 Aug 2020 10:27 AM PDT  White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday he accepts that Sen. Kamala Harris is eligible to serve as vice president, rejecting a false and racist conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump had promoted. "Sure," said Meadows, when asked on CNN's "State of the Union" whether he acknowledges the fact that she meets the constitutional requirements to be president or vice president. Trump twice this past week declined to say whether he believed she met the requirements when asked about social media claims that the California senator and former presidential candidate couldn't serve in the White House because her parents were immigrants to the United States.
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| Luis Abinader sworn in as Dominican leader; Pompeo attends Posted: 16 Aug 2020 10:24 AM PDT |
| Democrats tap array of faith leaders to speak at convention Posted: 16 Aug 2020 10:17 AM PDT  The Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., who criticized President Donald Trump after he held a Bible aloft at a photo op at a historic church in her diocese, is among the diverse group of faith leaders selected by Democrats to speak at their presidential nominating convention. Bishop Mariann Budde will deliver the benediction on Tuesday, the second night of the convention, according to a list shared with The Associated Press on Sunday before its public release. The convention will be almost entirely virtual, with online video addresses.
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| Zimbabwe rejects Catholic bishops' criticism of corruption and abuse Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:47 AM PDT  A government minister accuses the Church leaders of joining groups seeking "to manufacture crises".
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| Trump eyes Putin meeting before November election, say sources Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:43 AM PDT  President Donald Trump has told aides he'd like to hold an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the November election, according to four people familiar with the discussions. The goal of a summit would be for the two leaders to announce progress towards a new nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, the people familiar with the discussions said. One option under consideration is for the two leaders to sign a blueprint for a way forward in negotiations on extending New START, a nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia that expires next year, three of the people familiar with the discussions said.
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| Trump eyes Putin meeting before November election, say sources Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:43 AM PDT  U.S. officials have explored potential times and places for a Trump-Putin summit, including next month in New York, said people familiar with discussions.
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| Bourbon-scented sanitizer and wary public challenge census Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:38 AM PDT  Out on her first day of knocking on doors in the San Francisco Bay Area, the census taker had limited success getting people to answer the questions on the 2020 census. Workers on the front-lines of the massive effort trying to count everyone in the U.S. have faced unprecedented obstacles in the last phase of the 2020 census: people wary of talking to strangers in a pandemic and distrustful of government; a shortened schedule; administrative snafus, and nagging concerns about the quality of the protective equipment they've received. The California census taker and others interviewed by The Associated Press asked not to be identified for fear of losing their jobs — they are prohibited by the bureau from talking to reporters.
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| Trump plans to meet Putin before November election to make case as world leader Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:37 AM PDT  President Trump is reportedly actively planning for a summit before the November election with Russian leader Vladimir Putin — even as American intelligence reports Russia is mounting a major campaign to interfere in the November vote. "He wants it to show his deal-maker abilities," a White House official said. Trump is feeling the diplomatic vapors after his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, last week brokered a breakthrough agreement establishing full relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
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| Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan resume AU-led talks over disputed dam Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:21 AM PDT |
| Beirutis reunited with their pets after devastating blast Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:15 AM PDT  On the day after the Beirut blast, Kamal Khatib ignored the warnings of Lebanese civil defence to make one more rescue from a crumbling apartment in the Gemmayze neighbourhood. As he descended the stairs on his way out, he could feel the century-old building shaking, and minutes later, the second floor collapsed. The risk had been worth it, the 48-year-old volunteer said, he had saved a life. Shortly afterwards at a nearby hospital, a tearful and injured resident was reunited with her beloved siamese cat. "You don't feel the danger… it's complete focus for the animals," Mr Khatib says later, his lacerated arms a testament to the number of terrified cats he has pulled from the rubble. "It's not taking risk, it's rescuing." The August 4 explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at Beirut port destroyed an estimated 50,000 homes in the Lebanese capital, killing at least 178 and wounding some 6,000 people. There is no centralised list of the missing, but the United Nations say at least 30 people remain unaccounted for.
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| Shifting Dynamics of the Mideast Pushed Israel and UAE Together Posted: 16 Aug 2020 09:03 AM PDT  JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu buoyantly approached the microphone, beaming at his diplomatic coup."I told you," he told Israelis in a triumphant news conference Thursday night.Indeed he had.At least since 2009, Netanyahu had been insisting, against conventional wisdom, that Israel could build full diplomatic and trade relationships with Arab countries in the Middle East without settling the Palestinian conflict first.At every opportunity, he badgered the Persian Gulf monarchs to bring their not-so-secret cooperation with Israel into the open.Again and again, they demurred. Settle the conflict with the Palestinians, they said, then we'll talk.That was the answer so many times from so many Arab countries for so long that Netanyahu's persistence seemed disconnected and quixotic.When he sealed a deal to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates this past week, it was not because he had suddenly become more persuasive. What had changed, analysts and former aides to Netanyahu said, was the dynamics of the region and the world.The Arab Spring uprisings had shown Gulf monarchs that popular anger over repression and corruption were bigger threats to their rule than any blowback over their failure to maintain solidarity with the Palestinians.Other events changed their security calculus. Washington stood by as a staunch ally, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, was ousted in a popular uprising, and failed to respond militarily when Syria gassed its own people and Iran was blamed for an attack on Saudi oil facilities.It became increasingly clear to the Gulf states that the Western allies they had relied on for decades to come to their rescue might not be there in a pinch.Finally, as Iranian-sponsored proxy forces grew more powerful across the region -- in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen -- the Gulf states increasingly saw Iran as their greatest threat. And the 2015 Iran nuclear deal persuaded them that Washington was not committed to destroying Iran's nuclear ambitions or keeping Iran pinned down by sanctions.Israel, by contrast, was unwavering in its campaign against Iran. And according to Yaakov Amidror, Netanyahu's former national security adviser, the Gulf countries were hearing from Egypt and Jordan about Israel's helpfulness and reliability on vital matters of national security.Demographic changes in the Gulf states also reordered their priorities, forcing a focus on creating jobs for their young people more than standing up for the Palestinians. And Gulf leaders admired Israel's economy and tech sector.If the agreement with the UAE holds, it would be the first flowering of the redemption Netanyahu has been promising Israelis for 11 years.His hope is that other countries will follow suit. On Friday, Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's senior adviser, said that normalized relations with Saudi Arabia were "an inevitability." On Saturday, Israel's intelligence minister, Eli Cohen, predicted that Sudan would open full relations with Israel by the end of the year.But analysts question whether many of the 19 Arab states that do not have ties with Israel will follow the Emirates' lead.Although passion for the Palestinian cause no longer unites Arabs across the region in the way it used to, Israel remains deeply unpopular in the Arab world, where many see it as a usurper of Arab lands that illegally occupies the West Bank and, with Egypt, enforces a punishing blockade of the Gaza Strip.Netanyahu had inherited a rich tradition of Israeli prime ministers seeking pacts with Arab adversaries, but they were mostly "ad hoc alliances of convenience," said Uzi Arad, a foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu in the 1990s.In the 1960s, Israel airdropped weapons to Yemen to help Saudi Arabia, which was propping up the royalist regime there against revolutionary republicans backed by Egypt.Israel had maintained secret links with Oman since the 1970s. In 1996, after the Oslo Accords, Israel opened diplomatic interest offices in Qatar, Oman, Morocco and Tunisia. They were later closed after violent clashes between Israel and the Palestinians.In some ways, the Gulf countries held more potential for Israel than its "cold peace" with Egypt and Jordan, countries it had fought wars with."They were not belligerents in the Arab-Israeli conflict," Arad said. "They took sides, but there was no blood account. They were more distant. And they were oil rich, with business opportunities and economic interests."Israel ramped up its secret liaisons in the Arab world and found that despite Arab leaders' public condemnations of Israel -- and a Saudi peace initiative that made resolving the Palestinian conflict a requirement for normalization -- in private many were accommodating and practical."There is an intersection of interests, not a small one, between us and many of the Arab states," Meir Dagan, the Israeli Mossad chief from 2002 to 2011, said in an interview before his death in 2016."The interests of most of those states -- Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf emirates, Morocco, and so on -- did not correspond with those of radical Shiite revolutionaries or their allies in Damascus, let alone their heavily armed proxy militias. Those Arab states mostly feared the thought of Iran with a nuclear weapon, maybe more so than Israel."That cooperation led to major achievements by Israeli intelligence, including being able to identify, monitor and strike militants in Lebanon and Syria, pinpointing Iranian embassies that were dispatching operatives throughout the world and publicizing revelations about Iran's nuclear project.Reelected in 2009 after a decade out of power, Netanyahu took the controls of what had become a powerful vehicle for sub rosa diplomacy, and tried to drive it into the sunlight.He had long harbored a fascination with the Arab world, said Dore Gold, a veteran diplomat and adviser to Netanyahu. Gold recalled Netanyahu holding forth to a roomful of Arab journalists at the Madrid peace conference in 1991."He spoke to them not as somebody who was hostile, but to the contrary, as somebody who wanted to work with them."As prime minister, Netanyahu sought small deals and accommodations with the leaders he courted.In an early move, Gold said, Netanyahu's diplomats lobbied for the headquarters of the new International Renewable Energy Agency to be established in the Emirates, a boon to the Emiratis' quest for international standing, on the condition that Israeli diplomats would have to be accredited.In 2015, Israel opened a permanent mission to the agency, its first diplomatic post in the UAE."This is how things were built, step by step or stone by stone, to create a whole web of cooperation," said Arad, Netanyahu's national security adviser from 2009 to 2011.At the same time, President Barack Obama's downgrading of the Middle East in American foreign policy, followed by Trump's haste to pull out of the region and his vacillating response to aggression attributed to Iran in 2019, intensified the Gulf countries' attraction for Israel, Netanyahu's associates say."No one wants weak allies," said an Israeli official who insisted on anonymity to speak candidly about sensitive diplomatic matters. "Israel is in the region. We're not going to become neo-isolationists or pivot to Asia. And we have this convergence of interests where Israel's enemies are their enemies."At times, those relationships strained. The 2010 Mossad assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Dubai, without even a heads-up to local intelligence, and an aborted attempt to atone by selling Israeli drones to the Emiratis set back Israel's work with the UAE by several years.Still, Netanyahu did not let up with his efforts to persuade Arab leaders to bring their ties into the open.Those discussions often ran aground over the Palestinians. Amidror recalled a Washington event at which a Saudi diplomat urged Israel to resolve the Palestinian conflict so regional cooperation could flourish."And I said, 'Don't give the key for that change to the Palestinians,'" Amidror said. "That was the essence of the argument between us and the Gulf countries. Why give the Palestinians the key?"But Netanyahu began to bring those relationships to light.For years, Israeli military censors had prevented reports on Israeli-Arab cooperation, fearing that they could spark demonstrations against the cooperating governments. But when Netanyahu eased up on the censorship, the protests did not materialize. The Arab public, it turned out, was largely indifferent.Occasional breakthroughs accelerated into a steady drumbeat of news.Israel gave Egypt the lead in brokering the deal for the release of an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas in 2011. A Qatari envoy was allowed to deliver millions of dollars each month to the Gaza Strip as a financial balm for the impoverished enclave.Israel cabled its diplomats to support Saudi Arabia against Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in a dispute over Saudi intervention in Lebanon, citing Iran's "regional subversion."More recently, Israel bombed ISIS targets in Sinai to help Egypt. Saudi Arabia granted overflight rights to Air India for planes on the Delhi-Tel Aviv route. Netanyahu visited Oman. And in February, he met with Sudan's de facto leader and opened a new air corridor that trimmed hours off Israeli flights to South America.The Emiratis, too, were eager to bring their relationship into the open.Taufiq Rahim, an Emirates-based senior fellow at New America, a research institute, said that the relationship had been building quietly for years and that it was only a matter of time before it became public."There is only so much you can gain by having covert relations, and that also applies to the investment, the business and technology side as well," he said.With the Emiratis, the question became how to bring their relationship into the open. In 2018, Netanyahu and Yousef al-Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to Washington, ran into one another at a Washington restaurant and chatted openly about better relations. When Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister's wife, said she hoped Otaiba would one day visit Jerusalem, he replied "Inshallah," or "God willing."It helped that both countries were friendly with the Trump administration. Last year, Otaiba spoke with Kushner about the possibility of diplomatic relations with Israel."He said, 'This is something we see as an inevitability. If we can find the right way to do it, we're interested,'" Kushner recalled in an interview.The momentum grew last year when the Emirates and two other Arab nations showed up at a White House-sponsored conference in Bahrain to discuss Kushner's peace plan. The Arab leaders braced for repercussions at home for participating in a plan that sidelined the Palestinians, but none came.It was Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank that made open relations impossible, as Otaiba wrote in an Israeli newspaper in June.In an ironic twist, that plan became the catalyst that finally gave Netanyahu the opening he had long sought. With pressure building for him to drop the annexation plan, he traded it away for something he wanted even more.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Black Portland reflects on role of white allies in movement Posted: 16 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT  More than two months of intense protests in Portland, Oregon — one of America's whitest major cities — have captured the world's attention and put a place that's less than 6% Black at the heart of the conversation about police brutality and systemic racism. Since May, nightly demonstrations in Oregon's largest city have featured overwhelmingly white crowds — from middle-aged mothers marching arm in arm to the mayor getting tear-gassed by federal agents to teenagers dressed in black smashing police precinct windows and tossing fireworks at authorities. The weeks of often-chaotic protests have transformed Portland into a microcosm of the national debate on race and police brutality.
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| Coronavirus hasn't devastated the homeless as many feared Posted: 16 Aug 2020 08:14 AM PDT  When the coronavirus emerged in the U.S. this year, public health officials and advocates for the homeless feared the virus would rip through shelters and tent encampments, ravaging vulnerable people who often have chronic health issues. While shelters saw some large COVID-19 outbreaks, the virus so far doesn't appear to have brought devastation to the homeless population as many feared.
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| Netanyahu says UAE deal signals end to 'land for peace' Posted: 16 Aug 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that a deal to establish full diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates proves that Israel doesn't need to retreat from occupied land sought by the Palestinians in order to achieve peace and normalization with Arab states. Israel and the UAE announced Thursday they were establishing full diplomatic relations in a U.S.-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
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| Putin offered military assistance to Belarus, but analysts explain why he's unlikely to follow through Posted: 16 Aug 2020 07:51 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to assist his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko militarily if necessary as the latter faces mounting anti-government protests, the Kremlin said Sunday. While the traditionally staunch allies are in a more precarious place than usual because of Lukashenko's recent aversion to deepening political and economic ties with Moscow, Putin reportedly is at least telling Lukashenko he's prepared to intervene on his behalf because he fears a revolution spilling over into Russia. Per BBC, Russian television broadcasts are drawing parallels between the Belarus demonstrations and Ukraine's Euromaidan protests in 2014, which preceded Russia's invasion of Crimea.But while some analysts have laid out possibilities for why Putin may follow through, others have pointed out that the situation in Belarus is not actually similar to Ukraine and Putin will most likely hold back. Indeed, even though Russian TV is backing Lukashenko publicly, news sites are reportedly criticizing the embattled Belarusian leader, who may be losing his grasp over the rest of the government.Back in 2014, Ukraine was choosing between East and West, and Russia was determined not to lose influence over the country. Russia also wants to keep Belarus in its orbit, but that's not really what these protests are about, BBC's Steve Rosenberg notes. While Lukashenko's ties to Russia have certainly played a role in his ability to maintain power for 26 years, the protests are specifically directed at Minsk, not Moscow, so Putin may decide he won't to risk an invasion for Lukashenko's sake. > 5\. The Belarusian opposition is against Lukashenko, not Russia. The Kremlin may be able to live with that. > 6\. Putin's regime is very able to infiltrate & manipulate, which costs much less than military intervention. Why be too blatant?> > -- Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) August 15, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 achingly funny cartoons about Trump's post office upheaval Catholic voters' impossible choice Gretchen Whitmer is America's most incompetent politician
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| Virus, fees hinder drive to register Florida felons to vote Posted: 16 Aug 2020 07:47 AM PDT  When Floridians overwhelmingly approved a measure allowing most felons to vote after completing their sentences, many expected Democrats to benefit most from the participation of up to 1.4 million newly eligible voters in this year's election. "This is about American citizens having their voices heard," said Meade, who registered last year after a drug conviction two decades ago.
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| Trump makes call for new White House doctor's virus advice Posted: 16 Aug 2020 06:58 AM PDT  President Donald Trump has found a new doctor for his coronavirus task force — and this time there's no daylight between them. Trump last week announced that Dr. Scott Atlas, a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, has joined the White House as a pandemic adviser. Atlas, the former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases.
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| Flooding and heavy rainfall leave over 60 dead in Sudan Posted: 16 Aug 2020 06:54 AM PDT |
| 10 things you need to know today: August 16, 2020 Posted: 16 Aug 2020 06:50 AM PDT |
| Puerto Rico governor loses primary of pro-statehood party Posted: 16 Aug 2020 05:31 AM PDT  LOÍZA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vázquez on Sunday acknowledged losing the primary of her pro-statehood party to Pedro Pierluisi, who briefly served as the U.S. territory's governor last year amid political turmoil. With more than 66% of electoral colleges reporting, Pierluisi received more than 58% of the vote compared with nearly 42% for Vázquez. "We have to abide by the decision of the majority," Vázquez said in a brief speech where she warned Pierluisi that he should "aspire" to have the support of those who voted for her.
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| Democrats in conservative SC now see opportunity for gains Posted: 16 Aug 2020 05:22 AM PDT  It's been nearly 15 years since a Democrat won a statewide office and 44 years since a Democratic presidential candidate claimed the state. In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Jaime Harrison has raised more money than GOP incumbent Lindsey Graham for two quarters in a row. A Democrat captured a longtime Republican state House seat this past week by double digits.
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| Police: At least 18 shot, with 4 dead, across Cincinnati Posted: 16 Aug 2020 05:21 AM PDT  Officers responded just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday to the Avondale neighborhood and found 21-year-old Antonio Blair with gunshot wounds, police said in a statement. One died at the scene and another at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; they were identified in a statement as 34-year-old Robert Rogers and 30-year-old Jaquiez Grant. News outlets reported the shootings took place within 60 to 90 minutes of each other, but Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate told reporters that they "seem to be separate independent incidents but horrific and tragic."
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| Mormons cool to Trump are finding new influence in Arizona Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:46 AM PDT  Yasser Sanchez has twice worked to defeat Joe Biden's bids for the vice presidency by building support for Republican candidates among his fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now the lifelong Republican finds himself in the surprising position of supporting Biden — and repelled from his party, he says, by President Donald Trump. Sanchez's view isn't as unusual as the Trump campaign would like.
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| Leader of Belarus rejects calls to rerun presidential vote Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:29 AM PDT  The embattled president of Belarus on Sunday rejected any possibility of repeating the vote that gave him a sixth term, lashing out at the West and declaring that his country would "perish as a state" if the election were rerun. Alexander Lukashenko spoke at a rally of tens of thousands of supporters near the main government building in the capital of Minsk. Protesters demanding his resignation organized a nearby opposition rally, which attracted a crowd that appeared to swell beyond 100,000.
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| U.S., South Korea to begin scaled-down drills amid virus spike Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:29 AM PDT  The drills could irk North Korea.
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| Donald Trump vows to push through 'snapback' sanctions on Iran Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:26 AM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump said that he intended to push through a "snapback" of sanctions on Iran, a day after the UN Security Council rejected a U.S. effort to extend a UN arms embargo on Tehran. "We'll be doing a snapback," Trump said during a news conference at his New Jersey golf club on Saturday. "You'll be watching it next week." The U.S. president was apparently referring to the contentious argument that the U.S. remains a "participant" in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal - despite having withdrawn from it in 2018 - and can therefore unilaterally force a return to sanctions if Washington considers that Iran has violated the terms of the deal. The nuclear deal, which was signed in July 2015, has been under massive pressure since the U.S. withdrawal, although major signatories including the UK, France and Germany remain committed.
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| Lebanese president calls probe into Beirut blast 'complex' Posted: 16 Aug 2020 04:09 AM PDT  Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the probe into this month's devastating blast in Beirut is "very complex" and would not be finished quickly. Responding to calls that he step down, Aoun told French TV station BFMTV that it would be "impossible" because it would create a power vacuum. The cause of the fire that ignited nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut's port remains unclear.
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| Telephone calls between UAE, Israel ring for the first time Posted: 16 Aug 2020 02:26 AM PDT  Telephone calls began ringing Sunday between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, marking the first concrete step of a U.S.-brokered diplomatic deal between the nations that required Israel to halt plans to annex land sought by the Palestinians. Anger over the deal however continued as well, with protesters in Pakistan criticizing the UAE and Iran making new threats about the accord, which will see the Emirates become only the third Arab nation to currently recognize Israel.
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| Campus-based Thai protest movement extends reach to streets Posted: 16 Aug 2020 01:49 AM PDT  Anti-government protesters gathered in large numbers in Thailand's capital on Sunday for a rally that suggested their movement's strength may extend beyond the college campuses where it had blossomed. There was no reliable estimate of the crowd size, though it appeared to be one of the biggest demonstrations in several years. The rally ended after almost eight hours with about two dozen students who are facing arrest joining together on stage to repeat their demands and renew their commitment to the cause of democracy.
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| Mauritius oil spill: Wrecked MV Wakashio breaks up Posted: 16 Aug 2020 12:34 AM PDT  The MV Wakashio, which spilled more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil off Mauritius, has split apart.
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| Israel shuts Gaza fishing zone after overnight fighting Posted: 15 Aug 2020 11:27 PM PDT  Israel closed the Gaza Strip's offshore fishing zone Sunday following a night of cross-border fighting with Palestinian militants, the most intense escalation of hostilities in recent months. Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets into southern Israel after Israeli airstrikes targeted sites belonging to the territory's militant Hamas rulers. The military said the Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted the two rockets that militants in Gaza launched at southern Israel.
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| Hunger, squalor mar South Sudan post-war unification efforts Posted: 15 Aug 2020 11:10 PM PDT  Here in crowded camps in South Sudan, former enemies are meant to be joining forces after a five-year civil war so they can help the shattered country recover. The Associated Press spoke to women, both former rebel fighters and government troops, who are among tens of thousands of people being trained as a unified security force. Visits to a handful of camps found squalid conditions, with food supplies expired or stolen by corruption.
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| Reaganland review: Rick Perlstein on Carter's fall and the rise of the right Posted: 15 Aug 2020 11:00 PM PDT  The finale of an epic history runs from 1976 to 1980 – four years of upheaval and change which seem distinctly familiarDespite its title, Reaganland is actually an exhaustive history of the years 1976-1980 – and thus perforce a history of the administration of Jimmy Carter.It's all here – the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, brother Billy, the Panama Canal Treaty, California's Proposition 13 cutting property taxes, supply side economics, the "killer rabbit", direct mail, the Ford Pinto, Ted Kennedy, Three Mile Island, malaise and a hundred other incidents and stories that defined these tumultuous years.At the centre stood the well-meaning, earnest Carter, whom Rick Perlstein describes as equal parts "engineer and preacher", combined in "passionate certitude, beyond compromise", sincerely seeking to do his best and switching between liberal and conservative policies based on his analysis of what might solve a problem."[C]risis upon crisis. It began to look impossible for the president to manage it all." Fractious relations with a Congress of his own party and an inexperienced White House staff did not help, and then came the fall of the Shah of Iran. To be fair, this is also the story of the Camp David accords, human rights in foreign policy and attempts to beat inflation and (mostly) maintain decency in politics. Reaganland is a detailed chronicle of that story.> There's politics aplenty here, not least Ted Kennedy's challenge in the primary and turmoil within Reagan's own campaignThe 70s as a time of major social upheaval has been told before; Perlstein puts it in political context, chronicling the rise of the new right and its activists. They are the principal villains of this book, transforming American politics, using superior organizational prowess to mobilize sentiment and voters, outfoxing their opponents.There's politics aplenty here, not least Ted Kennedy's passionate challenge in the 1980 Democratic primaries and the turmoil within Reagan's own campaign. But Reaganland is essentially sociopolitical history, focusing on the movements and causes that animated public debate so virulently and the impacts of major social changes, such as women's rights, on American life. Perlstein seems most at home discussing these social movements. The long backgrounders necessary to this telling are integral to the book but contribute significantly to its length.Perlstein is frequently harsh on Carter, perhaps from knowing how the story ends. Yet lest one miss the point, the last chapter, quoting the Carter strategist Gerald Rafshoon, is entitled "Carter is smarter than Reagan". Still, another Reagan shines through in parts. If Reagan were alive, he would probably parry Perlstein's attacks with a smile and reprise his famous "there you go again" line to Carter.As Perlstein admits, for all Reagan's malapropisms and missing facts, he could take a staffer's draft and edit it just so to appeal to the common listener – precisely as one would expect of the actor "one take Reagan", with more than 1,000 radio commentaries which kept him in front of the voting public. Equally, one can hardly draw a straight line between the Reagan who welcomed Mexican migrants "for whatever length of time they want to stay" and opposed a border fence to the Trumpism of today's GOP.One can argue that the tragedy of the Carter administration is that its underlying analysis was correct. As Perlstein writes, "One of the bizarre things about the new conventional wisdom concerning American softness is how closely it resembled what Jimmy Carter was saying – even though Carter himself was being held up as the exemplar of how American leadership had failed." Pollster Pat Caddell spoke of "alienation" as a theme of American life and found that "for the first time ever, Americans thought their children's lives would be worse than their own".This is a meticulously researched narrative history. But on its essential question – could the shift to the right have been avoided? – the answer is surely no, despite the many mistakes of Carter and his team.> In the end, a decisive portion of the American people simply decided that it was time for a change in leadershipFirst, did the superior organizational skills and aggressive tactics of the new right cause the shift to the right or was it merely the blowtorch that launched a prairie fire? Perlstein answers the question only indirectly, quoting the new right leader Howard Phillips: "We organize discontent." Most of the time, he chronicles the changes – and then reports election results, a pattern which somewhat defeats the idea that political operatives caused these changes, even if the methods they used were frequently underhanded, brutal and angry.Perlstein blames Gerald Ford's narrow defeat in 1976 on Reagan not campaigning aggressively for the president – others argue it was Ford's bungling debate performance. But surely Ford's election would hardly have stopped the rise of the new right – indeed, it might have accelerated it, given that its actions would be directed against a Republican and therefore less seen as "partisan" than when conservatives attacked Democrats.Second, there is a simpler version of Reagan's election. Perlstein seems irritated that every evening, the broadcaster Walter Cronkite announced the number of days the hostages had been captive in Iran. But surely Cronkite, understanding its political impact (and his audience's sentiments), showed that events had come to an inflection point in America. Similarly, the arrogance of those who felt Reagan could be summed up as merely the human protagonist in Bedtime for Bonzo and that his misuse of facts would doom him is a cautionary tale.Even if those voters who cared most about the hostages supported Carter by two to one on election day, in the end, a decisive portion of the American people simply decided that it was time for a change in leadership.Sometimes the conventional wisdom is right. At one point in 1979, 58% of gas stations had none to sell. In 1980, with the prime rate at 15.5% and inflation and unemployment combining for a "misery index" – a concept first articulated by Carter in 1976 – of 20.3%, economic conditions boded ill. When Reagan asked in the final debate of the 1980 campaign, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?", many Americans answered no and voted accordingly: 43% said they were simply against Carter. That and the new right made a majority.Perlstein concedes much of this at the end, somewhat grudgingly ("84% of Reagan voters gave 'time for a change' as their major reason for choosing him – not for any ideological reason at all"), but can't resist a few final digs at both candidates.This version of the story has contemporary relevance. Times are bad, events are out of control, the president is seen as out of touch with reality, the American people want and deserve a change of leadership to a figure who offers a fresh start and a revival of optimism and national unity. It happened for Jimmy Carter in 1976; it happened to Jimmy Carter in 1980. It happened to George Bush in 1992.One imagines a scenario something like this is on the minds of the Biden campaign.
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| How to Make the UAE’s Deal With Israel Truly Historic Posted: 15 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT |
| The U.S. Brings State-Sponsored Piracy Into the 21st Century Posted: 15 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT |
| US, SKorea to begin scaled-down drills amid virus spike Posted: 15 Aug 2020 09:52 PM PDT  The United States and South Korea will begin their annual joint military exercises this week, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday. The drills from Tuesday to Aug. 28 could still irk North Korea, which portrays the allies' training as invasion rehearsals and has threatened to abandon stalled nuclear talks if Washington persists with what it perceives as "hostile policies" toward Pyongyang.
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| Portland police declare riot, use smoke to clear crowd Posted: 15 Aug 2020 09:35 PM PDT  A riot was declared in Oregon's biggest city as protesters demonstrated outside a law enforcement building early Sunday, continuing a nightly ritual in Portland. Officers used crowd control munitions to disperse the gathering outside the Penumbra Kelly building. Protesters had thrown "softball size" rocks, glass bottles and other objects at officers, police said on Twitter.
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| US, SKorea to begin scaled-down drills amid virus spike Posted: 15 Aug 2020 09:01 PM PDT  The United States and South Korea will begin their annual joint military exercises this week, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday. The drills from Tuesday to Aug. 28 could still irk North Korea, which portrays the allies' training as invasion rehearsals and has threatened to abandon stalled nuclear talks if Washington persists with what it perceives as "hostile policies" toward Pyongyang.
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