Currentaffairsnews (Headlines)

A cruise ship lost control as it was coming in to dock in Venice Sunday, crashing into the wharf and hitting a tourist boat, Italian media reported. Tourists on land could be seen running away as the MSC Opera scraped along the dockside, its engine blaring, before knocking into the Michelangelo tourist boat, amateur video footage posted on Twitter showed. Two people were lightly injured in the accident at San Basilio-Zattere in the Venice's Giudecca Canal, according to the media reports.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/3124xqu

The massacre of 12 people in Virginia by a “disgruntled” worker is the 568th known American mass shooting in the last two years.At least 802 people have died in shootings involving four or more people during this period, data collected by the Gun Violence Archive shows.The city’s mayor described the Virginia Beach atrocity as “the most devastating day in the history" of the city.Despite widespread protests, calls for tighter gun laws and major controversies within the National Rifle Association, there are no new regulations on the horizon.However the issue of gun legislation looks set to become a major one for candidates in the 2020 election, with presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper already endorsing tighter laws.Here The Independent looks at some of the the deadliest mass shootings in the United States over the last two years.— 15 Feb 2019: Gary Martin killed five co-workers at a manufacturing plant in Aurora, Illinois, during a disciplinary meeting where he was fired. He wounded one other employee and five of the first police officers to arrive at the suburban Chicago plant before he was killed during a shoot-out with police.— 7 Nov 2018: Ian David Long killed 12 people at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, California, before taking his own life. Long was a Marine combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan.— 27 Oct 2018: Robert Bowers is accused of opening fire at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during Shabbat morning services, killing 11 and injuring others. It’s the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.— 28 June 2018: Jarrod Ramos shot through the windows of the Capital Gazette offices in Annapolis, Maryland, before turning the weapon on employees there, killing five at The Capital newspaper. Authorities say Ramos had sent threatening letters to the newspaper prior to the attack.— 18 May 2018: Dimitrios Pagourtzis began shooting during an art class at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. The 17-year-old killed eight students and two teachers and 13 others were wounded. Explosive were found at the school and off campus.— 14 Feb 2018: Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It surpassed Columbine High School as the deadliest shooting at a high school in US history.— 5 Nov 2017: Devin Patrick Kelley, who had been discharged from the Air Force after a conviction for domestic violence, used an AR-style firearm to shoot up a congregation at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing more than two dozen.— 1 Oct 2017: Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip from the 32nd floor of a hotel-casino, killing 58 people and wounding more than 500. SWAT teams with explosives then stormed his room and found he had killed himself.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HP99II

(Bloomberg) -- Andrea Leadsom, a prominent Leave campaigner who has thrown her hat in the ring to replace Theresa May as U.K. Prime Minister, has finally unveiled her three-step plan to leave the European Union, according to her commentary in the Sun newspaper.Says its vital to leave the EU by Oct. 31 without any further extension to that deadlineFirst step is to introduce two bills to protect U.K. citizens and enshrine agreed-upon measures between U.K. and EUFirst bill is a citizen rights bill for EU citizens living in the U. ...

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EPRuyP

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel fired missiles onto a Syrian military air base in the country's center late Sunday, killing a soldier and wounding two others hours after other Israeli attacks in southern Syria killed three soldiers and wounded seven, Syria's state-run media said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JReeCH

Twitter Inc has apologized for suspending accounts critical of Chinese government policy days ahead of the 30th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on protesters at Beijing's Tiananmen Square, after an outcry among users. The approach of the 30th anniversary of the bloody June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square has been accompanied in China by a tightening of censorship.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2wzPuX8

The Pentagon has ordered the White House to stop politicising the military, following a row over an order to have the USS John McCain hidden from view during Donald Trump‘s recent visit to Japan.The Navy had been instructed by the White House military office during the trip to obscure the identity the vessel, named for the late US senator John McCain.After details of the order became public, Patrick Shanahan, Mr Trump’s acting defence chief, is now considering sending out formal guidance to military units in order to avoid similar problems in the future. Mr Shanahan confirmed details about a Navy email that said the White House wanted the USS John McCain kept “out of sight” of Mr Trump. The internal message came to light last week, triggering a storm of outrage. Mr Trump, who refused to halt his long and bitter feud with Mr McCain even after the senator's death in August 2018, claims he had no idea about the directive.However, the president later commented: “somebody did it because they thought I didn't like him, OK? And they were well-meaning, I will say.”The order to hide the Navy destroyer reflected what appeared to be an extraordinary White House effort to avoid offending an unpredictable president known for holding a grudge.Mr Shanahan told reporters travelling with him to South Korea on Sunday that he is not planning to seek an investigation by the Pentagon's internal watchdog into the matter “because there was nothing carried out” by the Navy. He added that he still needs to gather more information about exactly what happened and what service members had done. “How did the people receiving the information — how did they treat it,” Mr Shanahan said. “That would give me an understanding on the next steps to take.” Mr Shanahan did not detail what those steps could be, but a defence official said Shanahan is considering a clearer directive to the military about avoiding political situations. According to his spokesman, Lt Col Joseph Buccino, Mr Shanahan told his chief of staff on Friday to speak with the White House military office “and reaffirm his mandate that the department of defence will not be politicised.”Asked directly if members of his senior staff were aware of the White House request before the president's visit, Shanahan said he’s been told they did not know. He also has said he was not aware of the request and that he would never have authorised it. What is still unclear, however, is who at the Pentagon may have known about the request and either agreed with it or chose not to discourage it. It’s also not clear whether Navy leaders deliberately chose the McCain crew as one of the ships to be on holiday leave during Mr Trump’s visit, or if other measures were taken to ensure that the McCain was not visible from where the president stood when he arrived on the USS Wasp to make remarks. The warship, commissioned in 1994, was originally named for the senator's father and grandfather, both Navy admirals named John Sidney McCain. Last year, the Navy rededicated the ship to honour the late senator as well.Additional reporting by AP

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WayqBl

The gunman who killed 12 people at a Virginia Beach municipal building before dying in a shootout with police was identified on Saturday as a disgruntled city engineer and co-worker of most of the victims. All but one of the victims from Friday's mass shooting in the coastal resort community were employed by the city, officials said, while the other was a contractor seeking a permit. The gunman, DeWayne Craddock, had worked for the city's public utilities department for about 15 years, Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said at a news conference.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2wuNajR

Jeanine Pirro says Robert Mueller is more worried about his legacy than protecting the country.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QGXH54

After losses in the May European election that shrunk the SPD to Germany’s third-biggest party behind Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led block and the Greens, lawmakers from Hesse state said they won’t back their caucus chief in the surprise vote of confidence called by Nahles for Tuesday, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said. “I like Andrea, but we need a new solution,” the newspaper quoted Ulli Nissen, an SPD lawmaker from Frankfurt, as saying.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HQsh9m

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday some Boeing Co 737 MAX and NG planes may have parts that were improperly manufactured and that it will require their replacement, the latest issue to hit the plane manufacturer. The FAA said up to 148 leading edge slat tracks manufactured by a Boeing sub-tier supplier are affected and cover 133 NG and 179 MAX aircraft worldwide. The FAA said a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, but said a failed part could lead to aircraft damage in flight.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WgFyB0

Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on Mexico over immigration Sunday as a top aide warned that the US president is "deadly serious" about slapping tariffs on imports from the southern neighbor. "People have been saying for years that we should talk to Mexico. The problem is that Mexico is an 'abuser' of the United States, taking but never giving," Trump said in a series of tweets Sunday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QGAQq1

On Friday Kim Foxx, Chicago's top prosecutor, released more than 2,000 pages of documents in Jussie Smollett's case and again explained her recusal.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2YYUy3k

A big cruise ship that was preparing to dock in Venice lost control on Sunday morning, crashing into the wharf and hitting a smaller tourist boat, local authorities said. Four people were wounded in the accident, which happened in Venice’s central Giudecca Canal, rescuers and port authorities said.   Video footage posted on YouTube and local media showed tourists running away in shock, as the Opera MSC cruise ship scraped along the dockside, before smashing into the River Countess tourist boat.  The crash may have happened after a cable used to link the cruise ship to the tugboats that were pulling it into the city's canals broke, a fire fighters’ spokesman said.  The Opera ship was unable to stop due to its huge weight and the strong currents pulling it towards the dock. “The situation is now under control,” the spokesman said. The accident immediately reignited debate over the damages caused by gigantic ship cruises to Venice’s historic infrastructure and their huge impact on the fragile lagoon’s environment.  A cruise ship lost control and crashed against a smaller tourist boat at the San Basilio dock in Venice Credit: REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri Venetians have long dubbed these massive ships “monsters” because they often ruin the lagoon’s view, but also because they are held responsible for hurting the foundations of the city's historical buildings with the waves they create.  The citizens’ biggest complaint is about the traffic of the cruise ships that are currently allowed to pass within a few hundred yards of St Mark’s Square and Venice’s historic centre on their way to the city’s international passenger terminal. A 2017 plan that would force the cruise ships weighing more than 96,000 tons to take a less central route via the industrial area of Marghera is still waiting for the national government’s final approval. However, works on the new route -- which would require the dredging of canals and the construction of a new port – could take up to four years.  “This is an epochal issue,” said Silvio Testa, a member of Venice’s activist group Comitato No Grandi Navi (No Big Ships Committee), which has fought against the big ships’ traffic for years. “Instead, we are treating the Venetian lagoon like a big potato field, where everything can be done.”  In an informal referendum organised by the committee in June 2017, nearly 99 per cent of the 18,000 Venetians who took part voted in favour of banning giant cruise ships from the city’s lagoon altogether.  The high-profile issue has been recently brought into spotlight again by popular street artist Banksy in his "Venice in Oil" installation, showing a large ship floating in the city's Grand Canal, surrounded by the Bridge of Sighs and outraged men steering gondolas.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JRwLPt

Democratic candidates make case for gun control reform in terms of reducing overall death toll Democratic presidential candidate Senator Cory Booker devoted his speech at the Democratic state convention in San Francisco on reducing gun violence. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP After 12 people were shot dead at a government building in Virginia Beach on Friday, some contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination sought to present the case for gun control reform in terms of tackling everyday gun violence, rather than stopping mass shootings. At a Democratic state convention in San Francisco on Saturday, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren was asked about Virginia Beach. “It’s not just mass shootings,” she said, adding that each day in America, gun violence occurs “on sidewalks and playgrounds and people’s backyards. It’s happening family by family across the country. And it doesn’t get the same headlines. And that is wrong.” The answer reflected a shift in progressive priorities that has influenced candidates in the crowded primary field. The New Jersey senator Cory Booker, who has already presented a plan for gun control reform, devoted his speech in San Francisco to the question. Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Booker said Virginia Beach was “a tragedy today but every day in the aggregate we have mass shootings that go on in neighbourhoods like mine … an inner-city black and brown community. “We are not helpless to stop this. This is a uniquely American problem. We have carnage in our country that no other nation sees.” Many would argue the US is in fact helpless to stop mass shootings and gun violence in general, given political stasis under the crushing influence of the National Rifle Association, a rightward tilt on the supreme court and the Republican grip on the White House, Senate and many state governments. In February, the Democrat-held US House passed a gun control reform bill that included federal background checks for all gun sales. It has not been taken up by the Senate. The Colorado senator Michael Bennet, another of the nearly two dozen Democrats vying for the presidential nomination, told ABC's This Week: “We should pass those background checks. Ninety percent of the American people support it. “But we know what’s going to happen, which is the House has passed it, Mitch McConnell will not allow it to come to a vote in the Senate, and we will not have national background checks.” Bennet said he hoped “that if McConnell does not take this on the floor, that the America people, and the people of Kentucky, will hold him accountable for that and that we can actually put leadership in the Senate and the White House that will do something about this.” In Virginia Beach, however, police said the gunman used two handguns and owned another weapon that were all purchased legally. He gained entry to the building where he killed 12 co-workers, they said, simply by using his security pass. Booker's 14-point plan includes licensing reform and a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Speaking to CNN, he presented gun control as a public health issue, citing reform at state and city levels that has had measurable effect. Booker insisted: “This idea that we are helpless to stop this, evidence points differently. We know that … licensing like Connecticut did, dropped gun violence in their state by 40%, suicides by 15%.” He did not directly answer the question of how his plan might make mass shootings like that in Virginia Beach less likely. It would, he stressed, “drop the level of violence overall”. “We’ve allowed the debate to be framed by the corporate gun lobby,” he said, “which has … eroded common sense … enough is enough. We can do things about this problem. We know it. The only thing lacking seems to be a sense of moral urgency. But unfortunately after what happened in Virginia Beach you see that growing.” Many proponents of gun control were pitched into despair by Barack Obama’s failure to get even modest reform through Congress in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre of December 2012, in which 20 young children and six teachers were killed. Asked how he would succeed as president where his Democratic predecessor so painfully failed, Booker said the cause of gun reform echoed “the civil rights movement” and the long time it took for landmark legislation to succeed in Congress. “People said it couldn’t be done and there were states that were standing against it,” he said. “But you know what happened is that we had leaders who called to the moral imagination of our country, who called to the conscience of our nation, who built the kind of coalitions necessary to tear down segregation.” Another contender, California senator Kamala Harris, said on Saturday she would use executive action to remove such a block from Congress. “We must do all we can to keep our communities and safe,” she tweeted on Saturday. “If Congress will not act, I will. Too many lives have been lost.” Booker concurred. “Here,” he said, “we have a nation that has untold levels of carnage, and violence and shootings every single day, of suicides, 90 to 100 people dying every single day. I believe that just because we’ve failed in the past doesn’t mean we will fail in the future.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JRUsXH

The US is attempting to confirm reports that North Korea has executed its special envoy to America, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. “We’ve seen the reporting to which you are referring,” Mr Pompeo told a news conference in Berlin. “We’re doing our best to check it out."South Korean media reported that the secretive communist state had executed Kim Hyok-Chol and other foreign ministry workers who steered negotiations for a failed summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.The pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in February to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea in exchange for some possible sanctions relief. But the talks stalled and the summit was abruptly cut short by several hours.North Korea has reportedly executed several officials who carried out talks after charging them with spying for the US. Kim Hyok-Chol, North Korea’s special representative for US affairs, was executed by firing squad in March, South Korea’s largest daily Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an anonymous source.It quoted the unnamed North Korean official as said that Mr Kim "was investigated and executed at Mirim Airport with four foreign ministry officials". Shin Hye-Yong, the interpreter for Kim Jong-un at the meeting, is also said to have been detained in a political prison camp for undermining the authority of the leader by making a critical interpretation mistake, the newspaper reported.Mr Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who aided the leader in Hanoi, is also said to be lying low.Kim Yong-Chol, Kim Jong-un’s right-hand man and a senior Workers’ Party vice chairman who visited the White House as the main point man for diplomacy with the United States, has reportedly also been subjected to forced labour and ideological education in a remote province near the Chinese border.Some previous South Korean reports of North Korean purges and executions have later proved inaccurate. Asked about reports of a “shakeup” of Kim Jong Un’s negotiating team in a 5 May interview with ABC News, Mr Pompeo said it did appear that his future counterpart would be somebody. However, he added: "We don’t know that for sure.”Additional reporting by Reuters.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Z5Hj0D

Recounting the chaotic minutes that followed the Friday afternoon gun rampage, authorities said they were still seeking a motive for why DeWayne Craddock, 40, would launch the attack on his co-workers and others at a municipal complex. "To the extent that the subject's employment status has anything do with these events, that will be part of the ongoing investigation," City Manager Dave Hansen told reporters. Craddock, an employee in the coastal resort city's public utilities department for about 15 years, had been described by officials as disgruntled.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JSk3Qf

Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe said Sunday that the deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago was “correct” and that it had ensured years of stability in the country. Mr Wei was responding to questions posed by the Telegraph at an annual security summit in Singapore. It is extremely rare for Chinese officials to acknowledge the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which ended when soldiers opened fire on thousands. Even three decades later, the crackdown remains one of the most sensitive topics in China, and is subject to extensive government efforts to erase it from history. “Everybody is concerned about Tiananmen after 30 years,” Mr Wei said Sunday at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. “China under the Communist Party has experienced many changes in those 30 years – how can we say that China did not handle the Tiananmen incident well? There was a conclusion to the incident. The central government took measures to stop that political turbulence.” “Due to that, China has enjoyed stability and development. If you visit China, you can better understand that part of history.” In the weeks leading up to the 30th anniversary this Tuesday, Chinese authorities have launched “pre-emptive strikes” by detaining, interrogating, and placing under house arrest former protest leaders and their relatives, according to the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a coalition of human rights groups. Muslims in China have faced a long battle against discrimination Credit: Guang Niu/Getty Images Mr Wei also defended China’s policies in Xinjiang as “absolutely right,” where US officials estimate three million Uighur Muslims are being held in internment camps. His remarks echoed what the government has said – that the authorities are running “vocational education centres to help these people deradicalise and learn skills to better reintegrate into society.” Eight former detainees interviewed by the Telegraph however have said they didn’t learn “skills,” and were subjected to physical and psychological torture, such as body-cavity searches, electrocution by cattle prods, and solitary confinement. In a strong, sweeping speech, a uniformed Mr Wei spoke regarding China’s position, making clear Beijing stood ready to defend its interests on all fronts, from trade to territories to Taiwan. “On the trade friction started by the US: If the US wants to talk, we will have the door open; if they want to fight, we are ready,” he said. Chinese Minister of Defence General Wei Fenghe salutes Credit: WALLACE WOON/EPA-EFE/REX  He also stressed that Huawei didn’t cooperate with the Chinese military, echoing the government’s long-held position despite allegations from the US of espionage risks if nations were to continue using the Chinese telecoms firm’s equipment in its mobile and data networks. Under Chinese law, even private firms like Huawei are obliged to assist the government. China will also “fight at all costs” if anyone attempted to separate Taiwan, a democratically self-ruled island that Beijing has long regarded as a runaway renegade province. He exercised the same hardline tone on issues in the South China Sea, where China has claimed disputed islands as their own, and intimidating US and UK warships when they sail through the region.   Mr Wei is the first defence minister to attend the Shangri-La dialogue since 2011, and met with his counter part, US acting defence secretary Patrick Shanhan on the sidelines Friday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2W9J2QX

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday disclosed a new problem involving Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX, saying that more than 300 of that troubled plane and the prior generation 737 may contain improperly manufactured parts and that the agency will require these parts to be quickly replaced. The FAA said up to 148 of the part known as a leading-edge slat track that were manufactured by a Boeing supplier are affected, covering 179 MAX and 133 NG aircraft worldwide. The 737 MAX, Chicago-based Boeing's best-selling jet, was grounded globally in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash after a similar Lion Air disaster in Indonesia in October.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EPTAyH

Reaction from Jon Sale, former assistant Watergate prosecutor.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Xgfkei

U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Friday warned the FBI and U.S. spy agencies that President Donald Trump is trying to "politicize" U.S. intelligence and law enforcement. Schiff criticized Trump for giving Attorney General William Barr "sweeping" powers to declassify or downgrade the secrecy of government reporting while conducting what the Justice Department is calling a "review" of "intelligence activities" related to the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XmhVDy

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The Latest on the deadly tour boat collision on the Danube River in Hungary (all times local):

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QAYvbA

Uighur activists say activists say the U.S. government should enact protections similar to those for Chinese students after Tiananmen.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HONaSh

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is asked to explain how she learned about her Native American ancestry.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2W4xsGs

The U.S. went to war in Iraq in 2003 based on flawed intelligence supported by hawkish policy makers. Is it doomed to repeat the error with Iran?

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QC9DFe

Foreign employees of US energy major ExxonMobil will return to work near Iraq's border with Iran Sunday, the oil ministry said, two weeks after being evacuated over tensions between Washington and Tehran. "ExxonMobil accepted that the 83 employees evacuated will resume their posts from Sunday," spokesman Assem Jihad told AFP. ExxonMobil pulled out its expatriate employees from the southern oil field after the US ordered non-essential personnel to quit its diplomatic missions in the country on May 15.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Wo3G4V

Donald Trump has announced he will be imposing a five percent tariff on all goods incoming from Mexico that will gradually increase unless America’s southern neighbour moves to bring an end to US-bound illegal immigration.Ahead of his visit to the UK next week, Mr Trump has praised Conservative leadership contender Boris Johnson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage as “good guys” and said he “may” meet with them in London.The president has meanwhile continued his criticism of outgoing FBI special counsel Robert Mueller and accused him of nurturing a personal vendetta while also contradicting the White House regarding the USS John S McCain, a US Navy destroyer he denies asking to have moved “out of sight” in Japan during his recent tour as a snub to the late war hero the vessel is named after.Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Xhj6nT

KOLKATA/KATHMANDU, May 31 (Reuters) - Earlier this month Dipankar Ghosh, a 52-year-old Indian photographer, scaled the world's fifth-highest peak, the snow-capped Mount Makalu. After being separated from the rest of his team in bad weather, he collapsed and died along with Narayan Singh, an officer in the Indian army, according to his tour operator. "Dipankar personified mountains," said his brother, Goutam, sitting by the coffin after it returned to the family's home in Kolkata, the state capital of India's West Bengal, on Wednesday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EJRhgE

Roiling flood waters in the Danube made it impossible for rescuers to reach the wreck of a river boat on Friday, two days after it sank in the Hungarian capital with 28 people feared dead, nearly all of them South Korean tourists. Seven South Koreans were confirmed killed and seven rescued when their pleasure boat struck a cruise liner in heavy rain on Wednesday night. Another 21 people are still missing, 19 of them South Korean tourists, and officials say there is little hope any will be found alive.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JSHXLp

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller (all times local):

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XiHcyi

Maggie Haberman, The New York Times’ White House correspondent, posited Friday morning that President Donald Trump was especially angered this week by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s press conference for one reason: He has never read the report. In what CNN’s New Day co-host Alisyn Camerota jokingly called an “armchair analysis segment,” she asked Haberman why she thought Trump on Thursday “seemed more irritated” following the public statement, in which Mueller confirmed on live television that he didn’t charge the president with any crimes because of Department of Justice policy—not because of the president’s innocence.“You know, there are some days he comes out and he’s sort of playing and sparring with the press,” said Camerota. “Yesterday, he seemed more irritated about some of the—I mean, Mueller didn’t say anything that dramatic that wasn’t in the report, but somehow it seemed to have angered the president.”Haberman responded, “You think the president has read the report? Because I do not.”“I think that when he hears Mueller say that on TV—again, him interpreting everything through this screen that is in front of him, I think that that had much more resonance than almost anything else that has happened,” Haberman added.Haberman, who pointed to Trump’s obsession with TV news as a source for information, is hardly alone in her doubts that the president took the time to read the 448-page report on potential ties between Team Trump and Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Furthermore, the report found 10 instances of possible obstruction of justice committed by the president.Haberman also noted that Trump likely read—and was comforted by—the four-page summary of Mueller’s report initially released by Attorney General Bill Barr and watched the press conference about it, in which Barr, according to Haberman, “used the president’s own language.”At the time, Mueller wrote a letter to Barr complaining that his summary did not “fully capture” the results of the probe and alleging that his spin sowed “public confusion” ahead of the report’s public release.“This was essentially the president’s PR language,” Haberman told Camerota. “I think that the president had felt pretty good about that. And then I think he saw Mueller in the box, and I think that spooked him.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QDteF2

The United States' actions on Taiwan and the South China Sea are hardly conducive to maintaining stability in the region, a senior Chinese military official said on Saturday, responding to comments by acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. "He (Shanahan) has been expressing inaccurate views and repeating old tunes about the issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea," Shao Yuanming, a senior official of the People's Liberation Army, told reporters after Shanahan's speech. Shao added that China would defend its sovereignty at any cost should anyone try to separate Taiwan from its territory.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2KhAjcX

Big business stays silent over controversy – in contrast to entertainment giantsAbortion rights advocates rally in front of the Georgia state capitol in Atlanta. Photograph: Tami Chappell/AFP/Getty ImagesGeorgia is home to some of the world’s biggest businesses but those corporations are so far avoiding becoming involved in the growing controversy over the state’s new abortion law, in contrast to the growing number of entertainment giants threatening to pull out. Earlier this week, Disney and Netflix said they are considering ending production in the state if it implements a bill that bans abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy – a point when many women will not know they are pregnant.The entertainment giants have sparked a Hollywood backlash against the law, with companies including WarnerMedia, which owns the Game of Thrones maker, HBO, and the Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter film studio, Warner Bros, also threatening to stop making productions in Georgia.WarnerMedia has said it would “reconsider” Georgia as a location for any new productions, putting it in a politically difficult position as all eight series of the global phenomenon Game of Thrones were filmed in Northern Ireland, which has even more restrictive laws on abortion and reproductive rights than Georgia.“We operate and produce work in many states and within several countries at any given time and while that doesn’t mean we agree with every position taken by a state or a country and their leaders, we do respect due process,” the company said in a statement.“We will watch the situation closely and if the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions. As is always the case, we will work closely with our production partners and talent to determine how and where to shoot any given project.”Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark in the series, told Sky News she had signed a public pledge to no longer work in US states with strict abortion laws. When it was pointed out she had filmed eight series of Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland, she said “luckily we’re moving on”. The state has built a reputation as being one of the most business-friendly in the south and its largest employers include Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, UPS and a host of other blue-chip companies. However, so far none are prepared to follow the media and entertainment giants.“We think it’s a very personal issue to the individual, so we don’t see it as our place to weigh in on this,” a spokeswoman for Home Depot said.“The question of abortion is deeply personal and there are many strongly held beliefs. We believe each employee has the right to express their own views and for this reason the company does not make a policy statement for, or against, the bill,” a UPS spokesman said.“UPS aligns its policies with the law. We encourage our employees to be involved in the political process so that their interests and beliefs are reflected in the laws enacted by their elected representatives.”Delta and Coca-Cola did not respond to requests for comment. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce also declined to comment on the bill, which is being challenged and is likely to end up before the supreme court.While global corporates remain silent on the matter, the opposition from Hollywood has continued to swell.NBC Universal, owner of the Jurassic World and Fast and Furious maker Universal Studios, said that if the law were to come into effect it would “strongly impact our decision-making on where we produce out content in the future”.Viacom – which owns Channel 5 in the UK and Paramount, the Hollywood studio behind franchises including Mission: Impossible and Transformers – said that if the law were to be introduced “we will assess whether we will continue to produce projects” in the state.AMC Networks, which is currently shooting the 10th season of The Walking Dead in Georgia, said: “If this highly restrictive legislation goes in to effect, we will re-evaluate our activity in Georgia.” The muted business reaction in Georgia stands in marked contrast to the outpouring of corporate criticism that followed North Carolina’s so-called “bathroom bill”. That bill would have required transgender people to use restrooms in many public buildings that corresponded to their sex at birth.Companies including Apple, Coca-Cola and PayPal attacked the bill and threatened not to create new jobs in the state. Hugh McColl, retired chief executive of Bank of America, one of the state’s largest employers, called the bill “inappropriate, unnecessary legislation that will hurt North Carolina”.The legislation, which was partially repealed, cost the state $3.76bn in lost business, according to Associated Press.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2wtiQGs

Missouri's only abortion clinic will stay open at least a few more days after a judge on Friday granted a request by Planned Parenthood for a temporary restraining order, allowing the facility to keep operating until a hearing on Tuesday. Planned Parenthood sued Missouri this week after state health officials said the license for Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood in St. Louis was in jeopardy, meaning the clinic could have closed at midnight unless the judge granted the request for a temporary restraining order.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EKBhuS

Mikhail Svetlov/GettySo far, the most important conclusion we can draw from reports North Korea’s senior nuclear negotiator and four foreign ministry officials were executed in March is this: Kim Jong Un is not the reliable, trustworthy negotiator President Trump has made him out to be.According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, a senior aide to leader Kim Jong Un was “sent to a labor and reeducation camp,” and two lower-level officials were imprisoned.The detention of aide Kim Yong Chol, who led Pyonyang’s outreach to Washington for two Trump-Kim summits, had been known for more than a month, but many are questioning whether Kim Hyok Chol, the nuclear negotiator, was in fact put to death by a firing squad at an airport in the North. Whatever the accuracy of the Chosun Ilbo reporting—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said he was looking into the matter—there is evidence of severe turmoil in Pyongyang political circles, and it appears Kim Jong Un’s grip on power has been weakening in recent months.This increasingly evident turmoil undercuts the notion, advanced by Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, that Kim can negotiate in good faith on a range of issues from denuclearization to inter-Korean reconciliation.The Chosun Ilbo article is based on a single “source” who was not identified in any way, and this has led many to suggest the stunning news is not accurate. Previous South Korean reports of executions in the North, including a 2013 Chosun Ilbo report, have in fact proven to be untrue. Moreover, the Friday article carried by the conservative-leaning paper may have been intended to embarrass the South’s “progressive” president, Moon.Reuters, referring to the five individuals, cites an unidentified “diplomatic source” saying, in the words of the news organization, that “there was no evidence they were executed.”“Seems like fake news to me,” a “White House official” was quoted as telling Harry Kazianis of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for the National Interest about the execution report.Although there should be skepticism, the story is nonetheless plausible given the rhetoric used by Rodong Sinmun, the official paper of the North’s Workers’ Party, in a commentary on Thursday warning about “anti-party” and “anti-revolutionary” elements, harsh language typically reserved for enemies of the regime.The Chosun Ilbo reported that these words last appeared in 2013, at the time of the execution of Jang Song Thaek, the power-broker married to Kim Jong Un’s aunt.Yet skepticism over one news story misses a larger point about the Pyongyang regime. Kim Hyok Chol has disappeared from sight as has, more significantly, Kim Yong Chol, described as Kim Jong Un’s “right-hand man.” Kim Yong Chol hand-delivered a letter from Kim to Trump in the Oval Office during a two-hour meeting just days before the June summit in Singapore, and Trump then called him “the second most powerful man in North Korea.”The disappearances of senior figures fly in the face of claims that the North Korean system is now sturdy. There have been indications that the historic first summit between Trump and Kim last June raised expectations among both the North Korean elite and common folk that positive change was coming to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Will Trump Pull U.S. Out of South Korea for Kim Jong Un?Trump’s four-minute video about the North’s bright future, showed to Kim in Singapore, may have had more effect than observers once suggested. By now it’s clear that rich and poor North Koreans were sorely disappointed by the breakdown in talks with Trump.The Chosun Ilbo reported Friday—and this feels credible—that Kim Jong Un ordered the purges “to contain internal unrest and mounting public dissatisfaction over the failed summit.”Even in advance of Hanoi, there were hints of anti-Kim feeling. On February 22, a few days before that meeting, activists intruded on the North’s embassy in Madrid, and there are suspicions that the raiders, members of activist group Free Joseon, had inside help, perhaps officials in Pyongyang. If the group had secret supporters, anti-regime elements are stronger than many believe. Kim Hyok Chol served as ambassador to Spain before becoming nuclear negotiator, by the way.Kim Jong Un executed perhaps as many as 180 senior officials—and maybe 500 juniors—as he consolidated power after the surprise death of his father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011. Some, therefore, may argue that the killing of only five diplomats at this point cannot be a destabilizing factor.Trump Doubles Down on Indulgent—and Failing—North Korea PolicyYet purges and killings at the beginning of a Kim ruler’s reign are expected, as he throws out old figures and replaces them with ones considered loyal. These executions, at a time of rising expectations and after a period of supposed political consolidation, therefore look different.Purges—and especially killings—create enemies. Among other things, they can motivate regime figures to act. David Maxwell, who served five tours of duty with the U.S. Army in Korea and is now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted Friday morning that U.S. Forces Korea was always concerned about a “Mr. X scenario”: some insider assassinating a Kim leader because he felt threatened by purges and believed he could be “next on the list.”Kim Hyok Chol was charged with “spying for the United States for poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping U.S. intentions.” Kim rulers are notorious for killing others to divert blame for their own mistakes, but Kim Jong Un has in recent years refrained from mass bloodletting. Now, whether the five poor officials are dead or merely languishing in detention, Kim has started a potentially dangerous dynamic, and that is a sure sign he felt particularly insecure.And when Kim leaders feel insecure, nothing good ever happens.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2wvHfLt

Reaction from Jon Sale, former assistant Watergate prosecutor.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Xgfkei

Mexico's president has said his country will not panic over Donald Trump’s threat to impose punitive tariffs in a row over migrants crossing the US border.Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged “great prudence” as he sent his top diplomat to Washington for talks to head off the 5 per cent tax on Mexican goods scheduled for 10 June.“I tell all Mexicans to have faith, we will overcome this attitude of the US government, they will make rectifications because the Mexican people don’t deserve to be treated in the way being attempted,” he said. Mr Trump has claimed that the tariff will increase by another five per cent every month up to 25 per cent “unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory.”He said that they were “about stopping drugs as well as illegals”.However, Mr Lopez Obrador said Mexico was already “carryout out our responsibility in immigration policy”. Last month authorities arrested hundreds of people travelling in a migrant caravan through the southern state of Chiapas.“We have to help so that they don’t enter the United States illegally, but we also have to do it respecting human rights,” the president added. ”Nothing authoritarian. They’re human beings.” Mr Lopez Obrador rejected suggestions Mexico should complain to an international trade body. ”We want to have a good relationship with the United States government," he said. His comments ca ame after he sent a letter to Mr Trump saying he did not want a “confrontation”. He said: “The peoples and nations that we represent deserve that, in the face of any conflict in our relationships, no matter how serious, we will resort to dialogue and act with prudence and responsibility.”Mr Lopez Obrado said that the “America First” slogan was a “fallacy” because “until the end of time universal justice and fraternity prevail over national borders”.The threat of tariffs on Mexico sparked an outcry from business groups and political figures.Republicans said it jeopardised the new North American trade agreement, which was negotiated last year but has not yet been approved by lawmakers.“Let’s focus on solving the crisis at the border but not hurt our economy and endanger an important POTUS goal – a better trade deal w/ Canada & Mexico,” said Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the president’s threat was a “misuse of presidential tariff authority”.“Imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico is exactly the wrong move,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the US Chamber of Commercs. “These tariffs will be paid by American families and businesses without doing a thing to solve the very real problems at the border. Instead, Congress and the president need to work together to address the serious problems at the border.” “It’s very hard to see the USMCA going forward after this,” said Philip Levy, who was a White House economist under President George W Bush and is now a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “The president has essentially told the Mexicans that the deal offers them no guarantees against trade protectionism. It asks them to jump through hoops with no reward.” Stock markets plunged on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average losing around 355 points, or 1.4 per cent, after the news of Mr Trump's threat broke.Economists forecast that tariffs of 25 per cent would cut US growth by at least 0.7 per cent to around 1 per cent in 2020. Meanwhile Mexico could slide into recession.If Mexico retaliates with its own tariffs they could also damage the US auto and farm industries. Last year Mexico bought $300bn of US goods and services, while the US imported $378bn from Mexico.The US is already involved in a trade war with China following the president’s decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on $250bn of imports.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Xg10mc

R. Kelly sex abuse charges. A phallic image in the sky. Thursday’s top news.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JNHQkh

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani stressed Saturday that Tehran will not be "bullied" into negotiations with the United States and laid down the Islamic republic's conditions. "We are men of reason and negotiation ... if one sits at the negotiating table with total respect and in the framework of international law," Rouhani said, quoted by the government's website. Rouhani has repeatedly ruled out negotiations unless Washington lifts sanctions against the Islamic republic and returns to the 2015 nuclear deal signed by Tehran and world powers.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Ib2JCV

Twelve people have been killed and six others wounded after a “disgruntled” employee opened fire at a municipal centre in Virginia Beach, the city’s police chief has said.Police said the suspect, a long-term and current employee at Virginia Beach Municipal Centre fired “indiscriminately” and was killed when officers responded to the incident.Virginia Beach police chief James Cervera told reporters an officer was among the six wounded, adding that he was ”basically saved by his bulletproof vest”.“There’s no way to describe an incident such as this,” said Mr Cervera. At the same conference, Virginia Beach mayor Robert Dyer said: “This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach.”The shooting happened at the Virginia Beach Municipal Centre, a campus of city offices and agencies, which includes the police department. The shooting happened in Building Number 2, which includes offices for planning and public works.“This day will not define Virginia Beach,” said Virginia Beach councilman Aaron Rouse at the press conference. “We will come together. We show the strength of our city.”Officials told WAVY that one patient was taken to Sentara Pincess Anne hospital. They were brought by a helicopter reserved for severe injures. Five other patients were taken to Virginia Beach General, seemingly with lesser injuries. “This is a tragic day for Virginia Beach and our entire Commonwealth,” wrote Virginia governor Ralph Northam on Twitter. “My heart breaks for the victims of this devastating shooting, their families, and all who loved them. I am on my way to Virginia Beach now and will be there within the hour.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2ELUfkO

Like the rest of the new series, President Trump's role in 'When They See Us' is taken from the real story of the Central Park jogger case

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HOW5Dt

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Narendra Modi named a Cabinet on Friday, handing the powerful home affairs portfolio to the president of his Hindu nationalist party credited with delivering him a thunderous reelection and appointing a former diplomat to signal the government's focus on foreign policy.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HMMRYc

The White House wanted the U.S. Navy to keep a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain out of President Donald Trump's view during his trip to Japan, three U.S. officials said Wednesday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XdUM6g

Today's elite spellers bring a distinctive approach to competition, self-presentation, and what it means to win.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Z1dcYu

Kim Hyok Chol, who led working-level negotiations for the February summit in Hanoi, was executed by firing squad after being charged with espionage after allegedly being co-opted by the U.S., the newspaper said Friday, citing an unidentified source. Speculation has swirled for months about the fate of Kim Hyok Chol, who hasn’t received any recent mentions in state media dispatches. Previous South Korean media reports about senior North Korean officials being executed following the talks have proven false.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2MjrUsf

Google's Chrome is the most popular way to browse the web on desktop and mobile, thanks to a combination of features that make it a reliable, albeit sometimes resource-intensive, app. However, Google's recent moves are going to ruin the Chrome experience for many users, and we nearly missed them.Google a few months ago announced a proposal to change the way Chrome extensions work, which would prevent current ad blockers from working. Google received plenty of negative feedback from users, but this hasn't deterred the company from going forward with these plans.Google a few days ago responded to some of the criticism (via 9to5Google) regarding its Manifest V3 changes, explaining what will change going forward. The company confirmed that the ad blocking capabilities of Chrome would no longer be available to regular Chrome users. Chrome will still block content if you're a paid, enterprise user of Chrome.A Google's spokesperson told 9to5Google that "Chrome supports the use and development of ad blockers," adding that Google is "actively working with the developer community to get feedback and iterate on the design of a privacy-preserving content filtering system that limits the amount of sensitive browser data shared with third parties."However, as the blog points out, the Chrome changes will make it impossible for most Chrome ad blockers to work in the near future. Google's moves aren't surprising, considering that it makes money from advertising. Alphabet noted in a recent SEC Form 10-K filing that ad blocking extensions are a "risk factor" to revenue:> New and existing technologies could affect our ability to customize ads and/or could block ads online, which would harm our business.> > Technologies have been developed to make customizable ads more difficult or to block the display of ads altogether, and some providers of online services have integrated technologies that could potentially impair the core functionality of third-party digital advertising. Most of our Google revenues are derived from fees paid to us in connection with the display of ads online. As a result, such technologies and tools could adversely affect our operating results.What's also interesting is that Google made it clear during I/O 2019 that it wants to offer better privacy and security to users, something that seemed to go against its bottom line. Google tried to redefine privacy to suit it needs around that time. The fact that it's trying to protect the customizable ads that it sells to businesses is also an indication that Google won't give up collecting user data anytime soon.In Google's defense, we'll remind you the company is looking to improve the advertising experience on the web, and prevent the kind of annoying ads that you'd use ad blockers to stop from appearing in the first place.Also, in the same response, Google said that future versions of Chrome will make it easier for end-users to deal with permissions that extensions require and force developers to inform end-users of what data their extensions will access. The move is meant to protect privacy and prevent abuse, which is certainly laudable. However, that doesn't minimize the fact that Google plans to temporarily or permanently disable third-party ad blockers.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2XiUoDz

Cardi B is accused of throwing bottles and chairs at two bartenders at a New York City strip club after accusing them of having sex with her husband.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Z2DFVh

BEIJING/TOKYO, May 30 (Reuters) - Nissan's advanced technologies including platforms and electric powertrains could give it leverage in a merger involving Renault and Fiat Chrysler, thanks to a royalty system it has with the former, two people with knowledge of the matter said. A merged Renault-Fiat Chrysler could face an extra hurdle each time it uses technology developed by Nissan Motor Co or Mitsubishi Motors Corp, while the two Japanese automakers stand to gain a client in Fiat Chrysler (FCA) , one of the people said. Nissan's technology, particularly in electrification and emissions reduction, could give it some sway in the $35 billion potential tie-up between Renault and FCA, even as its stake in the newly formed company would be diluted.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2MhhglP

The president’s announcement Thursday surprised many Republicans who hoped to focus on passing a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada known as the USMCA. Trump said he will impose a 5% tariff on all imports from Mexico -- ramping up 5 percentage points every month until hitting 25% in October -- unless Mexico takes "decisive measures" to stem migrants entering the U.S.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/3104Xxl

Democratic White House hopeful Elizabeth Warren said Thursday that if Donald Trump were not protected by his presidential status, he would be "in handcuffs and indicted" for obstructing the investigation into Russia's 2016 election interference. The progressive US senator from Massachusetts, one of the leading Democrats for the party's 2020 nomination, was the first presidential candidate to speak out in favor of launching impeachment proceedings against Trump. Warren had called for an impeachment inquiry the day after the April 18 publication of special counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report on Moscow's election interference.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EK7cf1

A New Mexico mayor on Thursday said he and his staff received multiple death threats after they briefly halted construction of a crowd-funded, private border wall by a group that then urged supporters to tell the city to "stop playing games," and alleged it was tied to drug cartels. The Florida-based group has raised $23 million via crowd-funding site GoFundMe.com to build private border walls to halt smuggling and a surge in undocumented migrants, after funding for President Donald Trump's promised wall was blocked. Perea described the tactics of We Build the Wall as a "cheap blow," and the American Civil Liberties Union accused it of pursuing a "white Nationalist" agenda.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2ELc5UX