Pompeo Has Received North Korean Letter Trump Was Expecting
08/09/2018
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has received the letter that President Donald Trump has said he was expecting from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A State Department official is confirming that Pompeo has the letter. It’s not immediately clear whether it’s been delivered to Trump.
Pompeo returned early Friday from India. Trump was in Montana and the Dakotas on Friday before a late return to the White House.
The official wasn’t authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump has said Kim’s recent statement that he wants to denuclearize North Korea during Trump’s tenure as president was “a very positive statement.”
Російська церква погрожує розірвати зв’язки з Константинополем в разі надання автокефалії УПЦ
08/09/2018
7 вересня Вселенський патріархат призначив двох екзархів у Києві у межах підготовки до надання автокефалії українській православній церкві
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Російська церква погрожує розірвати зв’язки з Константинополем в разі надання автокефалії УПЦ
08/09/2018
7 вересня Вселенський патріархат призначив двох екзархів у Києві у межах підготовки до надання автокефалії українській православній церкві
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‘Just Do It:’ Nike’s Latest Ad Campaign Gets Political
08/09/2018
On the 30th anniversary of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan, the apparel and footwear company announced a new endorsement deal and ad starring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick’s decision to kneel in protest of police brutality during the national anthem at NFL games has sparked controversy across the country, with the fallout further blurring the line between sports and politics in the United States. VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff has more.
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‘Just Do It:’ Nike’s Latest Ad Campaign Gets Political
08/09/2018
On the 30th anniversary of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan, the apparel and footwear company announced a new endorsement deal and ad starring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick’s decision to kneel in protest of police brutality during the national anthem at NFL games has sparked controversy across the country, with the fallout further blurring the line between sports and politics in the United States. VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff has more.
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Європейський союз засудив оголошення про проведення виборів у так званих «ДНР» та «ЛНР»
08/09/2018
Європейський союз засудив наміри щодо проведення виборів в угрупованнях «ДНР» та «ЛНР».
«ЄС цілковито підтримує незалежність, суверенітет та територіальну цілісність України в межах її міжнародно визнаних кордонів», – йдеться в заяві, оприлюдненій речницею Європейської зовнішньополітичної служби Майєю Коціянчич.
Співдружність європейських держав наголошує, що реалізація Мінських угод всіма сторонами є ключовою для досягнення міцного мирного врегулювання конфлікту на сході України.
«У цьому контексті оголошення про те, що так звані «вибори» відбудуться у так званій «Луганській Народній Республіці» та «Донецькій Народній Республіці» 11 листопада 2018 року, суперечить духу та букві Мінських угод, які містять конкретні положення щодо організації місцевих виборів у цьому регіоні», – заявила представниця дипломатичного корпусу ЄС.
«Необхідно уникати будь-яких кроків, які можуть перешкоджати реалізації Мінських угод. Ми зокрема сподіваємось, що Росія в цьому сенсі цілком використає свій вплив на сепаратистів», – заявила вона.
Читайте також: «Новий ватажок на окупованому Донбасі: Москва дає хід «виборам» в ОРДО?»
7 вересня в угрупованні «ДНР» назвали нового «голову» – ним став «голова парламенту» Денис Пушилін. Попередній ватажок угруповання Олександр Захарченко 31 серпня загинув унаслідок вибуху в ресторані в центрі контрольованого бойовиками Донецька.
7 вересня також стало відомо, що угруповання «ДНР» призначило вибори свого лідера на 11 листопада. Рішення про проведення 11 листопада виборів «глави» і «депутатів» напередодні ухвалили і в угрупованні «ЛНР».
Це суперечить Мінським угодам, згідно з якими місцеві вибори на нині непідконтрольних Україні територіях можливі лише після політичного врегулювання конфлікту, у відповідності до українського законодавства та за стандартами ОБСЄ.
Міністерство закордонних справ України оприлюднило заяву, що у випадку проведення голосування його результати будуть «юридично нікчемними, не створюватимуть жодних правових наслідків та не будуть визнані ані Україною, ані світовою спільнотою».
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Європейський союз засудив оголошення про проведення виборів у так званих «ДНР» та «ЛНР»
08/09/2018
Європейський союз засудив наміри щодо проведення виборів в угрупованнях «ДНР» та «ЛНР».
«ЄС цілковито підтримує незалежність, суверенітет та територіальну цілісність України в межах її міжнародно визнаних кордонів», – йдеться в заяві, оприлюдненій речницею Європейської зовнішньополітичної служби Майєю Коціянчич.
Співдружність європейських держав наголошує, що реалізація Мінських угод всіма сторонами є ключовою для досягнення міцного мирного врегулювання конфлікту на сході України.
«У цьому контексті оголошення про те, що так звані «вибори» відбудуться у так званій «Луганській Народній Республіці» та «Донецькій Народній Республіці» 11 листопада 2018 року, суперечить духу та букві Мінських угод, які містять конкретні положення щодо організації місцевих виборів у цьому регіоні», – заявила представниця дипломатичного корпусу ЄС.
«Необхідно уникати будь-яких кроків, які можуть перешкоджати реалізації Мінських угод. Ми зокрема сподіваємось, що Росія в цьому сенсі цілком використає свій вплив на сепаратистів», – заявила вона.
Читайте також: «Новий ватажок на окупованому Донбасі: Москва дає хід «виборам» в ОРДО?»
7 вересня в угрупованні «ДНР» назвали нового «голову» – ним став «голова парламенту» Денис Пушилін. Попередній ватажок угруповання Олександр Захарченко 31 серпня загинув унаслідок вибуху в ресторані в центрі контрольованого бойовиками Донецька.
7 вересня також стало відомо, що угруповання «ДНР» призначило вибори свого лідера на 11 листопада. Рішення про проведення 11 листопада виборів «глави» і «депутатів» напередодні ухвалили і в угрупованні «ЛНР».
Це суперечить Мінським угодам, згідно з якими місцеві вибори на нині непідконтрольних Україні територіях можливі лише після політичного врегулювання конфлікту, у відповідності до українського законодавства та за стандартами ОБСЄ.
Міністерство закордонних справ України оприлюднило заяву, що у випадку проведення голосування його результати будуть «юридично нікчемними, не створюватимуть жодних правових наслідків та не будуть визнані ані Україною, ані світовою спільнотою».
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N. Carolina Elections Board to Fight Federal Subpoenas
08/09/2018
North Carolina’s elections board agreed Friday to fight federal subpoenas seeking millions of voting documents and ballots, even after prosecutors delayed a quick deadline to fulfill their demands until early next year.
The State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement voted unanimously to direct state attorneys to work to block the subpoenas issued last week to the state board and local boards in 44 eastern counties.
U.S. Attorney Bobby Higdon in Raleigh, whose office issued the subpoenas, hasn’t said specifically why immigration enforcement investigators working with a grand jury empaneled in Wilmington are seeking the information. Two weeks ago, Higdon announced charges against 19 non-U.S. citizens for illegal voting, of which more than half were indicted through a Wilmington grand jury.
The subpoenas ordered the documents, which the state board estimated would exceed 20 million pages, be provided by September 25 at a time when election administrators prepped for the midterm elections. Requested documents included voted ballots, voter registration and absentee ballot forms and poll books, some going back to early 2010.
The action by the panel — comprised of four Democrats, four Republicans and one unaffiliated voter — came a day after an assistant prosecutor wrote the board backing off the deadline because of the election and expressing willingness to narrow the scope of the subpoenas.
After close to an hour of meeting privately, board members decided to try to quash the subpoenas altogether.
“The subpoena we’ve received was and remains overly broad, unreasonable, vague, and clearly impacts significant interests of our voters, despite the correspondence received from the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” board member Joshua Malcolm said during an open portion of the meeting. “The fact is the subpoena has not been withdrawn, despite such correspondence.”
Board Chairman Andy Penry expressed frustration with the timing of the subpoenas, received by the state board office just as the Labor Day weekend began and without advance notice. He said officials in some counties believed their faxed subpoenas were actually bogus attempts to obtain information fraudulently.
While some of the documents and information are public records easily accessible, state law prevents access to voted ballots unless by court order. And Penry said the data sought included very confidential information about voters.
“We have not been given a reason as to why ICE wants that information and candidly I can’t think of any reason for it,” he said.
Voting rights activists and Democrats blasted federal investigators for the massive request, accusing them of trying to interfere in the fall elections and taint the sanctity of the secret ballot to look for what critics consider exaggerated occurrences of voter fraud. Absentee ballots can be traced to the individual voter casting one.
The North Carolina elections include races for Congress and all of the seats in the legislature as well as several constitutional amendments.
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice praised the board Friday “for taking steps to defend the privacy interests of North Carolina voters and to prevent likely unlawful fishing expeditions by the federal government that tends to fuel voter suppression and intimidation efforts,” said Allison Riggs, a coalition attorney.
North Carolina’s three Democratic members of Congress and ranking Democrats on four House committees on Friday asked for the U.S. Justice and Homeland Security departments to investigate the reason for the requests and their legality.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich wrote in a letter Friday to board attorney Josh Lawson that his office is “confident in the appropriateness of the subpoenas.”
Kielmanovich wrote Thursday that the original subpoena timeline was designed only to ensure documents wouldn’t be destroyed following state records procedures. But prosecutors want to “avoid any interference with the ongoing election cycle” and “do nothing to impede those preparations or to affect participation in or the outcome of those elections,” he wrote.
In offering a January deadline to comply, Kielmanovich also asked that vote information be redacted from ballots.
N. Carolina Elections Board to Fight Federal Subpoenas
08/09/2018
North Carolina’s elections board agreed Friday to fight federal subpoenas seeking millions of voting documents and ballots, even after prosecutors delayed a quick deadline to fulfill their demands until early next year.
The State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement voted unanimously to direct state attorneys to work to block the subpoenas issued last week to the state board and local boards in 44 eastern counties.
U.S. Attorney Bobby Higdon in Raleigh, whose office issued the subpoenas, hasn’t said specifically why immigration enforcement investigators working with a grand jury empaneled in Wilmington are seeking the information. Two weeks ago, Higdon announced charges against 19 non-U.S. citizens for illegal voting, of which more than half were indicted through a Wilmington grand jury.
The subpoenas ordered the documents, which the state board estimated would exceed 20 million pages, be provided by September 25 at a time when election administrators prepped for the midterm elections. Requested documents included voted ballots, voter registration and absentee ballot forms and poll books, some going back to early 2010.
The action by the panel — comprised of four Democrats, four Republicans and one unaffiliated voter — came a day after an assistant prosecutor wrote the board backing off the deadline because of the election and expressing willingness to narrow the scope of the subpoenas.
After close to an hour of meeting privately, board members decided to try to quash the subpoenas altogether.
“The subpoena we’ve received was and remains overly broad, unreasonable, vague, and clearly impacts significant interests of our voters, despite the correspondence received from the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” board member Joshua Malcolm said during an open portion of the meeting. “The fact is the subpoena has not been withdrawn, despite such correspondence.”
Board Chairman Andy Penry expressed frustration with the timing of the subpoenas, received by the state board office just as the Labor Day weekend began and without advance notice. He said officials in some counties believed their faxed subpoenas were actually bogus attempts to obtain information fraudulently.
While some of the documents and information are public records easily accessible, state law prevents access to voted ballots unless by court order. And Penry said the data sought included very confidential information about voters.
“We have not been given a reason as to why ICE wants that information and candidly I can’t think of any reason for it,” he said.
Voting rights activists and Democrats blasted federal investigators for the massive request, accusing them of trying to interfere in the fall elections and taint the sanctity of the secret ballot to look for what critics consider exaggerated occurrences of voter fraud. Absentee ballots can be traced to the individual voter casting one.
The North Carolina elections include races for Congress and all of the seats in the legislature as well as several constitutional amendments.
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice praised the board Friday “for taking steps to defend the privacy interests of North Carolina voters and to prevent likely unlawful fishing expeditions by the federal government that tends to fuel voter suppression and intimidation efforts,” said Allison Riggs, a coalition attorney.
North Carolina’s three Democratic members of Congress and ranking Democrats on four House committees on Friday asked for the U.S. Justice and Homeland Security departments to investigate the reason for the requests and their legality.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich wrote in a letter Friday to board attorney Josh Lawson that his office is “confident in the appropriateness of the subpoenas.”
Kielmanovich wrote Thursday that the original subpoena timeline was designed only to ensure documents wouldn’t be destroyed following state records procedures. But prosecutors want to “avoid any interference with the ongoing election cycle” and “do nothing to impede those preparations or to affect participation in or the outcome of those elections,” he wrote.
In offering a January deadline to comply, Kielmanovich also asked that vote information be redacted from ballots.
Trump Says US, Japan Have Begun Talks on Trade
08/09/2018
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the United States and Japan have begun discussion over trade, saying that Tokyo “knows it’s a big problem” if an agreement cannot be reached, and that India has also asked to start talks on a trade deal.
“We’re starting that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “In fact Japan has called us … they came last week.”
“If we don’t make a deal with Japan, Japan knows it’s a big problem,” he added.
Later in a speech in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Trump said:
“India called us the other day. They said we’d like to start doing a trade deal. First time.”
“They wouldn’t talk about it with the previous administrations. They were very happy with the way it was,” he said without giving further details.
Trump, who is already challenging China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union on trade issues, has expressed displeasure about his country’s large trade deficit with Japan, but had not asked Tokyo to take specific steps to address the imbalance.
On Thursday, though, CNBC reported he had told a Wall Street Journal columnist he might take on trade issues with Japan, causing the dollar to slip against the yen. The White House said Trump would push for fair trade.
“The president has been clear that he will fight to promote free, fair, and reciprocal trade with countries around the world, including Japan, that impose a range of restrictions on U.S. market access,” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement.
“The United States and Japan have been in close contact on ways to address such barriers, including through the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue.”
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Trump Says US, Japan Have Begun Talks on Trade
08/09/2018
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the United States and Japan have begun discussion over trade, saying that Tokyo “knows it’s a big problem” if an agreement cannot be reached, and that India has also asked to start talks on a trade deal.
“We’re starting that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “In fact Japan has called us … they came last week.”
“If we don’t make a deal with Japan, Japan knows it’s a big problem,” he added.
Later in a speech in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Trump said:
“India called us the other day. They said we’d like to start doing a trade deal. First time.”
“They wouldn’t talk about it with the previous administrations. They were very happy with the way it was,” he said without giving further details.
Trump, who is already challenging China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union on trade issues, has expressed displeasure about his country’s large trade deficit with Japan, but had not asked Tokyo to take specific steps to address the imbalance.
On Thursday, though, CNBC reported he had told a Wall Street Journal columnist he might take on trade issues with Japan, causing the dollar to slip against the yen. The White House said Trump would push for fair trade.
“The president has been clear that he will fight to promote free, fair, and reciprocal trade with countries around the world, including Japan, that impose a range of restrictions on U.S. market access,” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement.
“The United States and Japan have been in close contact on ways to address such barriers, including through the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue.”
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China’s August Trade Surplus With US Hits Record $31 Billion
08/09/2018
China’s trade surplus with the United States reached a record $31 billion in August, despite hefty tariffs recently imposed on Chinese goods.
The news of the surplus came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose another $267 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese imports, which would cover virtually all the goods China imports to the United States.
The potential tariffs would come on top of punitive levies on $50 billion in Chinese goods already in place as well as another $200 billion that Trump says “could take place very soon.”
He told reporters traveling with him to Fargo, North Dakota “behind that, there’s another $267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want.”
“That changes the equation,” he added.
Such a move would subject virtually all U.S. imports from China to new duties.
The president’s comments Friday came one day after a public comment period ended on his proposal to add duties on $200 billion of Chinese imports.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday the Trump administration would evaluate the public comments before making any decisions on the new proposed tariffs.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office received nearly 6,000 comments during seven days of public hearings on the proposal.
The Trump administration has argued that tariffs on Chinese goods would force China to trade on more favorable terms with the United States.
It has demanded that China better protect American intellectual property, including ending the practice of cyber theft. The Trump administration has also called on China to allow U.S. companies greater access to Chinese markets and to cut its U.S. trade surplus.
China has retaliated to the U.S. tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports with an equal amount of import taxes on U.S. goods. It has also threatened to retaliate against any potential new tariffs. However, China’s imports from the United States are $200 billion a year less than American imports from China, so it would run out of room to match U.S. sanctions.
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Russian Accused of Massive Data Theft Extradited to US
08/09/2018
A Russian hacker accused of helping pull off the biggest theft yet of consumer bank data in the United States has been extradited to the U.S. to face charges, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Russian national Andrei Tyurin was arrested by Georgian authorities to face charges he helped steal personal data of more than 80 million JP Morgan Chase customers in a massive hacking scheme uncovered by federal prosecutors three years ago, according to the Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.
Tyurin is alleged to have participated in a global hacking ring that ran illegal Internet casinos and payment processors and targeted the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and brokers such as E-Trade and Scottrade.
Phone calls to Tyurin’s attorney were not immediately returned.
In an indictment unsealed Friday, Tyurin, 35, is charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit computer hacking, securities fraud, illegal internet gambling, and wire and bank fraud, the latter which carries a maximum prison term of 30 years. He follows several others accused of participating in the sprawling hacking enterprise.
“As Americans increasingly turn to online banking, theft of online personal information can cause devastating effects on their financial wellbeing, sometimes taking years to recover,” said U.S. prosecutor Berman. “Today’s extradition marks a significant milestone for law enforcement in the fight against cyber intrusions targeting our critical financial institutions.”
Federal prosecutors have previously named several alleged co-conspirators, including Israeli Gery Shalon and U.S. citizen Joshua Samuel Aaron.
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Russian Accused of Massive Data Theft Extradited to US
08/09/2018
A Russian hacker accused of helping pull off the biggest theft yet of consumer bank data in the United States has been extradited to the U.S. to face charges, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Russian national Andrei Tyurin was arrested by Georgian authorities to face charges he helped steal personal data of more than 80 million JP Morgan Chase customers in a massive hacking scheme uncovered by federal prosecutors three years ago, according to the Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.
Tyurin is alleged to have participated in a global hacking ring that ran illegal Internet casinos and payment processors and targeted the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and brokers such as E-Trade and Scottrade.
Phone calls to Tyurin’s attorney were not immediately returned.
In an indictment unsealed Friday, Tyurin, 35, is charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit computer hacking, securities fraud, illegal internet gambling, and wire and bank fraud, the latter which carries a maximum prison term of 30 years. He follows several others accused of participating in the sprawling hacking enterprise.
“As Americans increasingly turn to online banking, theft of online personal information can cause devastating effects on their financial wellbeing, sometimes taking years to recover,” said U.S. prosecutor Berman. “Today’s extradition marks a significant milestone for law enforcement in the fight against cyber intrusions targeting our critical financial institutions.”
Federal prosecutors have previously named several alleged co-conspirators, including Israeli Gery Shalon and U.S. citizen Joshua Samuel Aaron.
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Shooter’s Gun Jammed During Rampage, Cincinnati Police Say
08/09/2018
The shooter who killed three people in a Cincinnati office high-rise once acted disoriented after being fired four years ago in South Carolina, and he filed a recent lawsuit that a judge in June said “borders on delusional.”
Authorities on Friday said they had not figured out why Omar Enrique Santa Perez, 29, opened fire inside the lobby of a building where he never worked or had any known connection. The city’s police chief said the gunman’s mental health history was one of several areas they were investigating.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said Santa Perez bought the 9 mm handgun legally about a month ago in Cincinnati before he randomly shot at workers Thursday morning in the building that houses the headquarters of Fifth Third Bancorp.
Security footage from inside the lobby showed him firing while carrying a briefcase containing hundreds of rounds of ammunition over his shoulder. Police later found his gun had jammed during the four-minute rampage, Isaac said.
The video also showed Santa Perez walking quickly past a security turnstile just as he was shot by police officers who fired through a plate glass window.
Santa Perez had been in Cincinnati since at least 2015, police said. Before that he lived in South Carolina and Florida.
Computer hacking alleged
He filed a lawsuit in 2017 that claimed CNBC Universal Media LLC and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. had hacked into his computer, spied on him and published details about him.
Santa Perez said the companies had tapped into audio speakers and digital cameras to invade his private life.
Both companies rejected the claims, and a federal magistrate in late June recommended dismissing the lawsuit, saying it was “rambling, difficult to decipher and borders on delusional.”
Records show Santa Perez had a history of minor offenses in all three states where he had lived. One arrest painted a troubling portrait of him when he was charged with trespassing after being fired from a company that makes kayaks in Greenville, South Carolina.
His boss told officers in October 2014 that Santa Perez had been throwing tools and not acting right in the week before he was let go and that he “was afraid of what Omar might do,” according to a police report.
A police officer said Santa Perez was on the ground, refusing to leave and appeared upset and disoriented. He mumbled “about the war and the economy” and talked about how he was upset about being fired, the officer said in a report.
Neighbors who lived in a Cincinnati-area apartment building that Santa Perez moved into this year gave conflicting descriptions of him.
Some told local news outlets that he usually looked angry and wouldn’t say hello, while another said he always appeared to be in a good mood.
The body of one of the three men killed in the shooting was recognized by the coroner. Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco had met Pruthvi Kandepi, 25, at a local Hindu temple. The two also had the same hometown and shared a language, Telugu. In a post Thursday on Facebook, Sammarco asked how officials would explain to his parents that “they will never see their son again because of a senseless shooting in a foreign country.”
Home for burial
The local Telugu Association of North America office said it planned to help Kandepi’s father. He wants his son’s body to be taken back to India.
Kandepi was an engineer who worked as a consultant for the bank.
The other two victims were identified as bank employee Luis Calderon, 48, and Richard Newcomer, 64, a contractor who worked for Gilbane Building Company.
One of the wounded was in fair condition Friday and another patient was in serious condition at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hundreds of people gathered Friday to remember the victims at a vigil in Fountain Square, just steps from the site of the shooting.
Police and city officials said there could have been more victims if the shooter’s gun hadn’t malfunctioned and if police hadn’t been nearby.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley praised the officers who confronted and took down the shooter.
“If he had gotten on the elevator, gone up to a floor, if he had been there earlier or a little bit longer, many more people would have been killed,” Cranley said.
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Shooter’s Gun Jammed During Rampage, Cincinnati Police Say
08/09/2018
The shooter who killed three people in a Cincinnati office high-rise once acted disoriented after being fired four years ago in South Carolina, and he filed a recent lawsuit that a judge in June said “borders on delusional.”
Authorities on Friday said they had not figured out why Omar Enrique Santa Perez, 29, opened fire inside the lobby of a building where he never worked or had any known connection. The city’s police chief said the gunman’s mental health history was one of several areas they were investigating.
Police Chief Eliot Isaac said Santa Perez bought the 9 mm handgun legally about a month ago in Cincinnati before he randomly shot at workers Thursday morning in the building that houses the headquarters of Fifth Third Bancorp.
Security footage from inside the lobby showed him firing while carrying a briefcase containing hundreds of rounds of ammunition over his shoulder. Police later found his gun had jammed during the four-minute rampage, Isaac said.
The video also showed Santa Perez walking quickly past a security turnstile just as he was shot by police officers who fired through a plate glass window.
Santa Perez had been in Cincinnati since at least 2015, police said. Before that he lived in South Carolina and Florida.
Computer hacking alleged
He filed a lawsuit in 2017 that claimed CNBC Universal Media LLC and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. had hacked into his computer, spied on him and published details about him.
Santa Perez said the companies had tapped into audio speakers and digital cameras to invade his private life.
Both companies rejected the claims, and a federal magistrate in late June recommended dismissing the lawsuit, saying it was “rambling, difficult to decipher and borders on delusional.”
Records show Santa Perez had a history of minor offenses in all three states where he had lived. One arrest painted a troubling portrait of him when he was charged with trespassing after being fired from a company that makes kayaks in Greenville, South Carolina.
His boss told officers in October 2014 that Santa Perez had been throwing tools and not acting right in the week before he was let go and that he “was afraid of what Omar might do,” according to a police report.
A police officer said Santa Perez was on the ground, refusing to leave and appeared upset and disoriented. He mumbled “about the war and the economy” and talked about how he was upset about being fired, the officer said in a report.
Neighbors who lived in a Cincinnati-area apartment building that Santa Perez moved into this year gave conflicting descriptions of him.
Some told local news outlets that he usually looked angry and wouldn’t say hello, while another said he always appeared to be in a good mood.
The body of one of the three men killed in the shooting was recognized by the coroner. Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco had met Pruthvi Kandepi, 25, at a local Hindu temple. The two also had the same hometown and shared a language, Telugu. In a post Thursday on Facebook, Sammarco asked how officials would explain to his parents that “they will never see their son again because of a senseless shooting in a foreign country.”
Home for burial
The local Telugu Association of North America office said it planned to help Kandepi’s father. He wants his son’s body to be taken back to India.
Kandepi was an engineer who worked as a consultant for the bank.
The other two victims were identified as bank employee Luis Calderon, 48, and Richard Newcomer, 64, a contractor who worked for Gilbane Building Company.
One of the wounded was in fair condition Friday and another patient was in serious condition at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hundreds of people gathered Friday to remember the victims at a vigil in Fountain Square, just steps from the site of the shooting.
Police and city officials said there could have been more victims if the shooter’s gun hadn’t malfunctioned and if police hadn’t been nearby.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley praised the officers who confronted and took down the shooter.
“If he had gotten on the elevator, gone up to a floor, if he had been there earlier or a little bit longer, many more people would have been killed,” Cranley said.
…
US Warns North Korea: No Concessions Without Denuclearization
08/09/2018
A top State Department official insisted Friday that North Korea would have to blink first if it wanted to make a deal on denuclearization with the United States.
Negotiators from the U.S. and North and South Korea have engaged in on-again, off-again talks on denuclearization since a June summit in Singapore between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.
But despite some high hopes, efforts have been stymied by a lack of specifics from North Korea as well as Pyongyang’s demands for security assurances and other concessions in advance of dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
“We’re not going to give anything until North Korea does what it says,” Andrea Thompson, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told reporters in Washington.
Officials in Pyongyang must first make good on “their obligations that they committed to in Singapore,” she said, referring to their pledge to denuclearize.
“What we want to offer is a future of a denuclearized peninsula. What we want to offer is the economic livelihood of a North Korea that can interact with the global neighbors,” she added, cautioning, “It depends on if North Korea’s forthcoming to do what they say they’re going to do.”
Thompson’s comments were just the latest on what has been a diplomatic roller coaster, with hopes rising and falling as talks involving Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul make progress, only to hit additional stumbling blocks.
The latest hopes for success came Thursday, when North Korea’s Kim told South Korean officials his faith in Trump was “unchanged” and suggested he would be willing to denuclearize by the end of Trump’s first term in office.
On Friday, en route to a rally in North Dakota, Trump expressed further optimism.
“A letter is being delivered to me, a personal letter from Kim Jong Un,” the president told reporters on Air Force One. “I think it’s going to be a positive letter.”
Yet many U.S. officials remain skeptical, noting it was just last month that Trump abruptly canceled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s plans to meet with Kim in Pyongyang because of a lack of progress.
Pompeo himself admitted during a visit to India on Thursday that “there is still an enormous amount of work to do.”
“We haven’t had any nuclear tests, we haven’t had any missile tests, which we consider a good thing,” he said. “But the work of convincing Chairman Kim to make the strategic shift that we’ve talked about for a brighter future for the people of North Korea continues.”
U.S. intelligence officials are even more wary about Pyongyang’s repeated commitments to denuclearize.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a conference in Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. intelligence assessment of North Korea’s nuclear intentions had not changed.
“Kim Jong Un sees nuclear weapons as key to the regime’s survival and as leverage to achieve his long-term strategic ambitions,” he said.
Coats also said that despite some symbolic steps by Pyongyang in early June to destroy the entrances to some nuclear testing tunnels and to start dismantling some other equipment, there had been no signs of additional movement.
Asked Friday what had led U.S. diplomatic officials to believe North Korea’s Kim would eventually go through with denuclearization, Thompson replied, “He said he was going to do it.”
“He said it to the secretary. And he said it to the president, so we’ll hold him to his word,” Thompson added.
…
US Warns North Korea: No Concessions Without Denuclearization
08/09/2018
A top State Department official insisted Friday that North Korea would have to blink first if it wanted to make a deal on denuclearization with the United States.
Negotiators from the U.S. and North and South Korea have engaged in on-again, off-again talks on denuclearization since a June summit in Singapore between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.
But despite some high hopes, efforts have been stymied by a lack of specifics from North Korea as well as Pyongyang’s demands for security assurances and other concessions in advance of dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
“We’re not going to give anything until North Korea does what it says,” Andrea Thompson, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told reporters in Washington.
Officials in Pyongyang must first make good on “their obligations that they committed to in Singapore,” she said, referring to their pledge to denuclearize.
“What we want to offer is a future of a denuclearized peninsula. What we want to offer is the economic livelihood of a North Korea that can interact with the global neighbors,” she added, cautioning, “It depends on if North Korea’s forthcoming to do what they say they’re going to do.”
Thompson’s comments were just the latest on what has been a diplomatic roller coaster, with hopes rising and falling as talks involving Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul make progress, only to hit additional stumbling blocks.
The latest hopes for success came Thursday, when North Korea’s Kim told South Korean officials his faith in Trump was “unchanged” and suggested he would be willing to denuclearize by the end of Trump’s first term in office.
On Friday, en route to a rally in North Dakota, Trump expressed further optimism.
“A letter is being delivered to me, a personal letter from Kim Jong Un,” the president told reporters on Air Force One. “I think it’s going to be a positive letter.”
Yet many U.S. officials remain skeptical, noting it was just last month that Trump abruptly canceled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s plans to meet with Kim in Pyongyang because of a lack of progress.
Pompeo himself admitted during a visit to India on Thursday that “there is still an enormous amount of work to do.”
“We haven’t had any nuclear tests, we haven’t had any missile tests, which we consider a good thing,” he said. “But the work of convincing Chairman Kim to make the strategic shift that we’ve talked about for a brighter future for the people of North Korea continues.”
U.S. intelligence officials are even more wary about Pyongyang’s repeated commitments to denuclearize.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a conference in Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. intelligence assessment of North Korea’s nuclear intentions had not changed.
“Kim Jong Un sees nuclear weapons as key to the regime’s survival and as leverage to achieve his long-term strategic ambitions,” he said.
Coats also said that despite some symbolic steps by Pyongyang in early June to destroy the entrances to some nuclear testing tunnels and to start dismantling some other equipment, there had been no signs of additional movement.
Asked Friday what had led U.S. diplomatic officials to believe North Korea’s Kim would eventually go through with denuclearization, Thompson replied, “He said he was going to do it.”
“He said it to the secretary. And he said it to the president, so we’ll hold him to his word,” Thompson added.
…
Гройсман: невиконання вимог МВФ поставить Україну на межу дефолту
07/09/2018
Невиконання вимог Міжнародного валютного фонду поставить Україну на межу дефолту, заявив прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман в ефірі телеканалу «Інтер».
«Я перший за те, аби зменшувати ціни на ресурси. Але невиконання вимог поставить Україну на межу дефолту», – сказав Гройсман.
Він зазначив, що Україна наразі не може виплатити свої борги, тому «треба виходити на зовнішні ринки, перекредитовуватися, зменшувати відсотки».
«Раніше меморандум з кредиторами підписували і не виконували обіцяне. А це підірвало довіру до України. Я мушу вирішувати це питання. Місія МВФ приїхала. Ми працюємо, у нас конструктивні відносини. За два тижні повідомимо про результати перемовин», – заявив прем’єр.
6 вересня у Києві розпочала роботу місія Міжнародного валютного фонду, яка перебуватиме в Україні до 19 вересня 2018 року. Постійний представник фонду в Україні Йоста Люнгман заявляв, що представники місії під час візиту обговорюватимуть останні економічні події й економічну політику.
У червні прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман визнав, що підвищення цін на газ для населення залишається серед вимог Міжнародного валютного фонду, і додав, що уряд не має «простої відповіді» на це питання.
Національний банк України розраховує отримати транш від МВФ до кінця 2018 року.
У березні 2015 року між МВФ і Україною була затверджена чотирирічна програма розширеного фінансування на суму близько 17,5 мільярда доларів США. Наразі МВФ надав Україні за цією програмою близько 8 мільярдів 380 мільйонів доларів.
…
Гройсман: невиконання вимог МВФ поставить Україну на межу дефолту
07/09/2018
Невиконання вимог Міжнародного валютного фонду поставить Україну на межу дефолту, заявив прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман в ефірі телеканалу «Інтер».
«Я перший за те, аби зменшувати ціни на ресурси. Але невиконання вимог поставить Україну на межу дефолту», – сказав Гройсман.
Він зазначив, що Україна наразі не може виплатити свої борги, тому «треба виходити на зовнішні ринки, перекредитовуватися, зменшувати відсотки».
«Раніше меморандум з кредиторами підписували і не виконували обіцяне. А це підірвало довіру до України. Я мушу вирішувати це питання. Місія МВФ приїхала. Ми працюємо, у нас конструктивні відносини. За два тижні повідомимо про результати перемовин», – заявив прем’єр.
6 вересня у Києві розпочала роботу місія Міжнародного валютного фонду, яка перебуватиме в Україні до 19 вересня 2018 року. Постійний представник фонду в Україні Йоста Люнгман заявляв, що представники місії під час візиту обговорюватимуть останні економічні події й економічну політику.
У червні прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман визнав, що підвищення цін на газ для населення залишається серед вимог Міжнародного валютного фонду, і додав, що уряд не має «простої відповіді» на це питання.
Національний банк України розраховує отримати транш від МВФ до кінця 2018 року.
У березні 2015 року між МВФ і Україною була затверджена чотирирічна програма розширеного фінансування на суму близько 17,5 мільярда доларів США. Наразі МВФ надав Україні за цією програмою близько 8 мільярдів 380 мільйонів доларів.
…
Trump Threatens to Tax Virtually All Chinese Imports to US
07/09/2018
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on another $267 billion worth Chinese imports, which would cover virtually all the goods China imports to the United States.
The potential tariffs would come on top of punitive levies on $50 billion in Chinese goods already in place, as well as tariffs on another $200 billion worth of goods that Trump says “could take place very soon.”
He told reporters traveling with him to Fargo, North Dakota, on Friday that “behind that, there’s another $267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want.”
“That changes the equation,” he added.
Such a move would subject virtually all U.S. imports from China to new duties.
The president’s comments came one day after a public comment period ended on his proposal to add duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday that the Trump administration would evaluate the public comments before making any decisions on the new proposed tariffs.
The U.S. trade representative’s office received nearly 6,000 comments during seven days of public hearings on the proposal.
The Trump administration has argued that tariffs on Chinese goods will force China to trade on more favorable terms with the United States. It has demanded that China better protect American intellectual property, including ending the practice of cybertheft. The Trump administration has also called on China to allow U.S. companies greater access to Chinese markets and to cut its U.S. trade surplus.
China has retaliated against the U.S. tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports with import taxes on an equal amount of U.S. goods. It has also threatened to retaliate against any new tariffs. However, China’s imports from the United States are worth $200 billion a year less than American imports from China, so it would run out of room to match U.S. sanctions.
…
Trump Threatens to Tax Virtually All Chinese Imports to US
07/09/2018
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on another $267 billion worth Chinese imports, which would cover virtually all the goods China imports to the United States.
The potential tariffs would come on top of punitive levies on $50 billion in Chinese goods already in place, as well as tariffs on another $200 billion worth of goods that Trump says “could take place very soon.”
He told reporters traveling with him to Fargo, North Dakota, on Friday that “behind that, there’s another $267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want.”
“That changes the equation,” he added.
Such a move would subject virtually all U.S. imports from China to new duties.
The president’s comments came one day after a public comment period ended on his proposal to add duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday that the Trump administration would evaluate the public comments before making any decisions on the new proposed tariffs.
The U.S. trade representative’s office received nearly 6,000 comments during seven days of public hearings on the proposal.
The Trump administration has argued that tariffs on Chinese goods will force China to trade on more favorable terms with the United States. It has demanded that China better protect American intellectual property, including ending the practice of cybertheft. The Trump administration has also called on China to allow U.S. companies greater access to Chinese markets and to cut its U.S. trade surplus.
China has retaliated against the U.S. tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports with import taxes on an equal amount of U.S. goods. It has also threatened to retaliate against any new tariffs. However, China’s imports from the United States are worth $200 billion a year less than American imports from China, so it would run out of room to match U.S. sanctions.
…
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр закликав звільнити Сенцова, який голодує 117-й день
07/09/2018
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр закликав звільнити українського режисера Олега Сенцова й інших ув’язнених, які «опинилися за ґратами винятково через мирне висловлення власної думки й за правозахисну діяльність», йдеться у зверненні, яке підписав виконавчий директор ПЕН-центру Карлес Торнер.
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр також згадує у зверненні російського режисера Кирила Серебренникова, якого звинувачують у розкраданнях бюджетних коштів, і главу карельського «Меморіалу» Юрія Дмитрієва, заарештованого у справі про насильницькі дії сексуального характеру щодо прийомної дочки. Обидва звинувачення відкидають.
Звернення ПЕН-центру було адресоване учасникам Міжнародного конгресу перекладачів, який відкрився 7 вересня. Водночас директор Інституту перекладу Євген Резниченко відмовився читати лист на відкритті Конгресу. За його словами, це не привітання, а відозва, для якої є більш підходящі місця, наприклад, Червона площа в Москві, повідомили російській редакції Радіо Свобода в Асоціації «Вільне слово».
Заступник керівника Росдруку Володимира Григор’єва, який виступав після Резніченка, повідомив, що не вважає за потрібне щось приховувати, і запропонував Інституту перекладу роздати копії тексту учасникам Конгресу.
Олег Сенцов засуджений у Росії на 20 років ув’язнення за звинуваченням у підготовці терактів в анексованому Криму. Режисер відкидає звинувачення. Від 14 травня він тримає голодування, вимагаючи звільнити з російських тюрем українських політв’язнів.
З вимогою негайно звільнити Сенцова до Росії неодноразово зверталися міжнародні організації, західні уряди, митці й активісти в усьому світі.
28 серпня кандидатуру Олега Сенцова на здобуття Нобелівської премії миру висунув колишній президент Польщі, засновник профспілки «Солідарність» і лауреат Нобелівської премії миру Лех Валенса.
Окрім того, Європейський парламент може номінувати українського режисера Олега Сенцова на премію «За свободу думки» імені Сахарова. Ця премія була заснована Європарламентом в 1988 році і вручається за видатний внесок у захист прав людини і основних свобод.
…
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр закликав звільнити Сенцова, який голодує 117-й день
07/09/2018
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр закликав звільнити українського режисера Олега Сенцова й інших ув’язнених, які «опинилися за ґратами винятково через мирне висловлення власної думки й за правозахисну діяльність», йдеться у зверненні, яке підписав виконавчий директор ПЕН-центру Карлес Торнер.
Міжнародний ПЕН-центр також згадує у зверненні російського режисера Кирила Серебренникова, якого звинувачують у розкраданнях бюджетних коштів, і главу карельського «Меморіалу» Юрія Дмитрієва, заарештованого у справі про насильницькі дії сексуального характеру щодо прийомної дочки. Обидва звинувачення відкидають.
Звернення ПЕН-центру було адресоване учасникам Міжнародного конгресу перекладачів, який відкрився 7 вересня. Водночас директор Інституту перекладу Євген Резниченко відмовився читати лист на відкритті Конгресу. За його словами, це не привітання, а відозва, для якої є більш підходящі місця, наприклад, Червона площа в Москві, повідомили російській редакції Радіо Свобода в Асоціації «Вільне слово».
Заступник керівника Росдруку Володимира Григор’єва, який виступав після Резніченка, повідомив, що не вважає за потрібне щось приховувати, і запропонував Інституту перекладу роздати копії тексту учасникам Конгресу.
Олег Сенцов засуджений у Росії на 20 років ув’язнення за звинуваченням у підготовці терактів в анексованому Криму. Режисер відкидає звинувачення. Від 14 травня він тримає голодування, вимагаючи звільнити з російських тюрем українських політв’язнів.
З вимогою негайно звільнити Сенцова до Росії неодноразово зверталися міжнародні організації, західні уряди, митці й активісти в усьому світі.
28 серпня кандидатуру Олега Сенцова на здобуття Нобелівської премії миру висунув колишній президент Польщі, засновник профспілки «Солідарність» і лауреат Нобелівської премії миру Лех Валенса.
Окрім того, Європейський парламент може номінувати українського режисера Олега Сенцова на премію «За свободу думки» імені Сахарова. Ця премія була заснована Європарламентом в 1988 році і вручається за видатний внесок у захист прав людини і основних свобод.
…
Заяви про «вибори» на Донбасі ставлять на паузу мінський і норманський формати – Геращенко
07/09/2018
Заяви сепаратистів про намір провести позачергові «вибори» на непідконтрольній Україні частині Донецької області у листопаді мають на меті загальмувати переговори у норманському та мінському форматах, вважає віце-спікер Верховної Ради України Ірина Геращенко.
«Зараз Москва також зацікавлена, аби апелювати до західних партнерів, що, мовляв, Київ зриває виконання політичного блоку. Але Кремлю буде важко це доводити, бо і в ЄС, і в США чудово усвідомлюють, що жодні дії на окупованих територіях не відбуваються без відмашки Путіна. Москва нічого не зробила й на крок не просунулася у виконанні мінських угод. І зараз йде на свідоме загострення ситуації на Донбасі, зачищаючи спільників, призначаючи «вибори»», – написала вона у Facebook.
7 вересня в угрупованні «ДНР» назвали нового «голову» – ним став «голова парламенту» Денис Пушилін. Після загибелі ватажка бойовиків Олександра Захарченка обов’язки «голови ДНР» взяв на себе Дмитро Трапезников. Згодом таке рішення в «прокуратурі» угруповання назвали незаконним, адже ці обов’язки може взяти на себе лише «перший віце-прем’єр ДНР».
Також цього ж дня стало відомо, що «Народна рада ДНР» призначила вибори нового голови угруповання на 11 листопада. Це суперечить Мінським угодам, згідно з якими місцеві вибори на нині окупованих територіях можливі лише після політичного врегулювання конфлікту, у відповідності до українського законодавства та за стандартами ОБСЄ.
Міністерство закордонних справ України оприлюднило заяву, що у випадку проведення голосування його результати будуть «юридично нікчемними, не створюватимуть жодних правових наслідків та не будуть визнані ані Україною, ані світовою спільнотою».
Заяви про «вибори» на Донбасі ставлять на паузу мінський і норманський формати – Геращенко
07/09/2018
Заяви сепаратистів про намір провести позачергові «вибори» на непідконтрольній Україні частині Донецької області у листопаді мають на меті загальмувати переговори у норманському та мінському форматах, вважає віце-спікер Верховної Ради України Ірина Геращенко.
«Зараз Москва також зацікавлена, аби апелювати до західних партнерів, що, мовляв, Київ зриває виконання політичного блоку. Але Кремлю буде важко це доводити, бо і в ЄС, і в США чудово усвідомлюють, що жодні дії на окупованих територіях не відбуваються без відмашки Путіна. Москва нічого не зробила й на крок не просунулася у виконанні мінських угод. І зараз йде на свідоме загострення ситуації на Донбасі, зачищаючи спільників, призначаючи «вибори»», – написала вона у Facebook.
7 вересня в угрупованні «ДНР» назвали нового «голову» – ним став «голова парламенту» Денис Пушилін. Після загибелі ватажка бойовиків Олександра Захарченка обов’язки «голови ДНР» взяв на себе Дмитро Трапезников. Згодом таке рішення в «прокуратурі» угруповання назвали незаконним, адже ці обов’язки може взяти на себе лише «перший віце-прем’єр ДНР».
Також цього ж дня стало відомо, що «Народна рада ДНР» призначила вибори нового голови угруповання на 11 листопада. Це суперечить Мінським угодам, згідно з якими місцеві вибори на нині окупованих територіях можливі лише після політичного врегулювання конфлікту, у відповідності до українського законодавства та за стандартами ОБСЄ.
Міністерство закордонних справ України оприлюднило заяву, що у випадку проведення голосування його результати будуть «юридично нікчемними, не створюватимуть жодних правових наслідків та не будуть визнані ані Україною, ані світовою спільнотою».