Monday, September 30, 2019

Jack Charles: 'I'd rob to collect rent for stolen Aboriginal land'

He was stolen from his family, then he stole from "posh homes" - now actor Jack Charles wants closure.

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The imam who died fighting racism in South Africa

Relatives of Abdullah Haron, who died in detention 50 years ago, are still traumatised by his death.

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As Gwyneth Paltrow celebrates her 47th birthday, here's a look at her massive net worth

As Gwyneth Paltrow celebrates her 47th birthday, here's a look at her massive net worthThe Academy Award-winning actress and founder of Goop turns 47 this month. Here's a look back at her career and the wealth she's amassed.




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California man arrested after leading police on 2-hour chase through corn maze

California man arrested after leading police on 2-hour chase through corn mazeA California man was caught and arrested by police Saturday morning, but not before he managed to elude them for two hours while hiding inside a corn maze.




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Trump impeachment T-shirts? Grow up, Rep. Tlaib. Removing a president is serious business.

Trump impeachment T-shirts? Grow up, Rep. Tlaib. Removing a president is serious business.If Donald Trump is her tutor on tactics, Rashida Tlaib is doing it wrong. Neither of them serve Americans well by appealing to their coarser appetites.




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Floods kill 113 in north India in late monsoon burst, jail, hospital submerged

Floods kill 113 in north India in late monsoon burst, jail, hospital submergedHeavy rains have killed at least 113 people in India's Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states over the past three days, officials said on Monday, as flood waters swamped a major city, inundated hospital wards and forced the evacuation of inmates from a jail. India's monsoon season that begins in June usually starts to retreat by early September, but heavy rains have continued across parts of the country this year, triggering floods. An official said that at least 93 people had died in most populous Uttar Pradesh since Friday after its eastern areas were lashed by intense monsoon showers.




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Will virtual clothes transform how we shop?

A smartphone app can make a detailed virtual avatar allowing you to try on a whole range of clothes.

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'A great cop': NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen killed in the Bronx, possibly with his own gun

'A great cop': NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen killed in the Bronx, possibly with his own gunOfficer Brian Mulkeen was fatally shot, possibly with his own gun, in the Bronx during a struggle with an armed assailant, police said.




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Former British leader defends Biden Ukraine scenario

Former British leader defends Biden Ukraine scenarioFormer British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday supported the explanation offered as to why Vice President Joe Biden pressured the president of Ukraine in 2015 to crack down on corruption. Supporters of President Donald Trump — particularly his attorney Rudy Giuliani — have argued that Trump’s much-criticized July 25 phone call with the current president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was appropriate because Biden had been corrupt in pushing Poroshenko to get rid of the state prosecutor.




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Jeff Flake: 'At least 35' GOP senators would vote to remove Trump if vote was private

Jeff Flake: 'At least 35' GOP senators would vote to remove Trump if vote was privateThe former Arizona Senator, who was one of Trump's most visible critics in the Senate, said if there was a secret vote, "there would be at least 35" GOP senators to vote for impeachment.




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Zimbabwe's Mugabe buried in home village, ending an era

Zimbabwe's Mugabe buried in home village, ending an eraZimbabwe's founding leader Robert Mugabe was buried on Saturday in his home village of Kutama, ending a dispute between his family and the government of his successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa over his final resting place. Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years from independence in 1980 but was a polarizing figure idolized by some for his role in the country's liberation struggle and hated by others for ruining a promising nation through disastrous economic policies and repression against opponents. After Mass by a Roman Catholic priest and speeches by family members, Mugabe was buried in the courtyard of his rural homestead without the pomp and fun fare usually reserved for national heroes.




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Trump reportedly worked with 2 'off the books' lawyers to pressure Ukraine

Trump reportedly worked with 2 'off the books' lawyers to pressure Ukraine"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said that top U.S. officials confirmed President Trump was working with more than one personal lawyer "off the books" to pressure Ukrainian officials for damaging information on former Vice President Joe Biden.




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China ‘poised to unveil new nuclear missile’ at military parade in warning to Trump

China ‘poised to unveil new nuclear missile’ at military parade in warning to TrumpA parade by China’s secretive military will offer a rare look at its rapidly developing arsenal, including possibly a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the United States in 30 minutes, as Beijing gets closer to matching Washington and other powers in weapons technology.The Dongfeng 41 is one of a series of new weapons Chinese media say might be unveiled during the parade marking the ruling Communist Party’s 70th anniversary in power.




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How Mitch McConnell could give impeachment the Merrick Garland treatment

How Mitch McConnell could give impeachment the Merrick Garland treatmentIt’s on track to be the trial of the century: President Donald Trump fighting to keep his job before a jury of 100 senators. Sure, it would be an unprecedented move in U.S. history for Republican leader Mitch McConnell to table Trump impeachment proceedings without allowing any significant debate or a vote to convict a president from his own party, thereby removing him from office. Conventional wisdom still says there has to be a Trump trial.




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Trailblazing Texas deputy who was first local Sikh officer 'ruthlessly' killed during traffic stop

Trailblazing Texas deputy who was first local Sikh officer 'ruthlessly' killed during traffic stopDeputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, the county's first Sikh officer, was killed Friday during a traffic stop near Houston. Police have arrested Robert Solis.




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2020 Vision: Impeachment is gaining in the polls — and so is Warren

2020 Vision: Impeachment is gaining in the polls — and so is WarrenHow Trump impeachment is polling, Warren's continued rise, Gabbard qualifies for the fourth debate, and campaign cash troubles plague some Democrats.




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Democrats have a long list of possible witnesses in Trump impeachment inquiry

Democrats have a long list of possible witnesses in Trump impeachment inquiryThe list of people Democrats may seek information from regarding President Trump's attempt to obtain dirt on Joe Biden seems to grow by the minute.




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Surprise! A U.S. F-22 Stealth Raptor 'Flew Under' Iran's F-4 Fighter

Surprise! A U.S. F-22 Stealth Raptor 'Flew Under' Iran's F-4 FighterNever had a chance.




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Barreling toward impeachment proceedings, Pelosi offers Trump her thoughts and prayers

Barreling toward impeachment proceedings, Pelosi offers Trump her thoughts and prayersHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Trump took to cable news and Twitter on Friday morning as the first week of the impeachment battle came to a close in Washington.




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Hong Kongers kick off days of rallies ahead of China's birthday

Hong Kongers kick off days of rallies ahead of China's birthdayThousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists on Friday night kicked off what is expected to be an intense period of protests, aiming to cast a shadow over communist China's momentous anniversary celebrations. Beijing is preparing a huge military parade on Tuesday to mark 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, revelling in its transformation into a global superpower. Four days of action are planned in the run-up to Tuesday with clashes almost certain after police denied permission for a march on the anniversary itself citing safety concerns.




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Pakistan warns of Kashmir bloodbath, India silent

Pakistan warns of Kashmir bloodbath, India silentIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denounced terrorism but avoided any mention of India's crackdown in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced India's crackdown and warned of a "bloodbath." (Sept. 27)




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Trump's Ukraine call sparks new questions over intelligence chief's firing

Trump's Ukraine call sparks new questions over intelligence chief's firingThe president removed Dan Coats days after his conversation with Zelenskiy and insisted that Coats’s deputy not get the jobDan Coats, seen in 2018, reportedly interrupted a meeting to convince his deputy to resign. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty ImagesThree days after his now infamous phone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Donald Trump abruptly fired his director of national intelligence in favour of an inexperienced political loyalist.According to a New York Times report, the White House learned within days that the unorthodox call on 25 July with Zelenskiy had raised red flags among intelligence professionals and was likely to trigger an official complaint.That timeline has raised new questions over the timing of the Trump’s dismissal by tweet of the director of national intelligence (DNI), Dan Coats, on 28 July and his insistence that the deputy DNI, Sue Gordon, a career intelligence professional, did not step into the role, even in an acting capacity.Instead, Trump tried to install a Republican congressman, John Ratcliffe, who had minimal national security credentials but had been a fierce defender of the president in Congress. Trump had to drop the nomination after it emerged that Ratcliffe had exaggerated his national security credentials in his biography, wrongly claiming he had conducted prosecutions in terrorist financing cases.Despite the collapse of the Ratcliffe nomination, Gordon was forced out. She was reported to have been holding a meeting on election security on 8 August when Coats interrupted to convince her that she would have to resign.In a terse handwritten note to the president, Gordon said: “I offer this letter as an act of respect and patriotism, not preference. You should have your team.”The Office of the DNI (ODNI) and its inspector general has the authority to receive whistleblower complaints from across all US intelligence agencies and determine whether they should be referred to Congress.“We all knew Coats’ departure was coming because he had clashed with the president on several issues. What was weird was the president’s forcefulness in not wanting Sue Gordon to take over as acting director,” said Katrina Mulligan, a former official who worked in the ODNI, the national security council, and the justice department.“I was hearing at the time that Sue was getting actively excluded from things by the president that she would ordinarily have taken part in, and she was being made to feel uncomfortable,” said Mulligan, now managing director for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress.“And then the president tried to install someone who was clearly unqualified,” she added. “Now the timeline of the whistleblower in the White House raises a lot of questions about the Sue Gordon piece of this.”John McLaughlin, the former acting CIA director, said the fact that Ratcliffe’s nomination was dropped and the job of acting DNI ultimately went to an intelligence professional, Joseph Maguire, was a sign that the intelligence community was so far resisting political pressure from the White House.Maguire faced tough questioning in Congress this week about his initial refusal, on justice department guidance, to refer the whistleblower complaint to Congress.“On politicisation, my sense is that the community is holding the line against it although undoubtedly dealing with more or less constant pressure,” McLaughlin said. “I felt kind of bad for the acting DNI, an honourable man with impeccable service to the nation. I believe he made some honest errors in judgment rather than yielding to political pressure. Throwing him into this job in these circumstances on such short notice is a little like assigning me on a navy Seal mission.”




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New chapter opens in Pennsylvania in fight over suing church

New chapter opens in Pennsylvania in fight over suing churchWhen post offices close Monday, the last victim compensation funds at Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic dioceses will also close, hours before lawmakers plunge back into a years-old fight over whether to let long-ago victims of child sexual abuse sue perpetrators and institutions that may have covered it up. It comes more than a year after last year's landmark grand jury report that accused senior Catholic Church officials of hushing up the abuse for decades. In the report's wake, the Philadelphia archdiocese and six Pennsylvania dioceses opened victim compensation funds while state lawmakers fought to a standstill over giving now-adult victims of childhood sexual abuse a legal "window" to sue.




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Joseph Wilson, U.S. diplomat who spoke out on Iraq War, dies at 69: NYT

Joseph Wilson, U.S. diplomat who spoke out on Iraq War, dies at 69: NYTWilson's ex-wife, Valerie Plame, a former CIA officer now running for Congress, told the Times his cause of death was organ failure. Wilson died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Times reported. Wilson served in several diplomatic posts during a 23-year career that began in 1976.




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Here's who will be onstage for the October 15 Democratic debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times, what time it'll start, and how to watch

Here's who will be onstage for the October 15 Democratic debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times, what time it'll start, and how to watchThe debate, which will feature 12 candidates all debating on one stage, will be hosted at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.




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How Ukraine envoy's resignation could affect his possible Congressional testimony

How Ukraine envoy's resignation could affect his possible Congressional testimonyKurt Volker, the State Department's special envoy for Ukraine, resigned Friday amid a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump and his communications with the Ukrainian government, including the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Volker did not provide a public explanation for leaving his post, but a source familiar with his decision said Volker concluded he could not perform the job effectively as a result of the recent developments.One person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Volker's resignation will likely enable him to be much freer in what he can say about his time at his post if he is called at some point to testify before Congress.The whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment inquiry alleges that Volker went to Kiev to help guide Ukrainian officials on how to handle Trump's alleged demands that the government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. He also reportedly spoke with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in an attempt to "contain the damage" to U.S. national security.Giuliani has said Volker encouraged him to meet with Ukrainian officials regarding the Biden family. That indeed appears to be the case, but The New York Times reports Volker was acting at the request of the Ukrainians, who were reportedly concerned about how Giuliani's attempts to procure information about the Bidens and other Democrats might affect their relationship with the U.S. Read more at NBC News and The New York Times.




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Greta Thunberg marches in Montreal for global climate protests

Greta Thunberg marches in Montreal for global climate protestsThe 16-year-old Swede met privately with Trudeau but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was "not doing enough" to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Thunberg generated headlines around the world earlier this week with her viral so-called "How Dare You?" speech at the UN climate summit, accusing world leaders of betraying her generation.




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Zimbabwe's Mugabe now expected to be buried on Saturday

Zimbabwe's Mugabe now expected to be buried on SaturdayZimbabwe's longtime leader Robert Mugabe is expected to be buried on Saturday, a family spokesman said Friday, after three weeks of drama over the former strongman's final resting place. Security was tight around the rural home that now will be the burial site after an abrupt change of plans left Zimbabwe's government with an incomplete mausoleum on a hilltop in the capital, Harare. Family spokesman Leo Mugabe confirmed the new plan, a day after the government announced it would comply with the family's latest wishes.




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Fifth-grade teachers ban dating to reduce 'broken hearts.' Mom says that's 'my job'

Fifth-grade teachers ban dating to reduce 'broken hearts.' Mom says that's 'my job'Fifth grade students at Riverside Elementary School in Jeffersonville, Ind., were told by teachers to "make sure that relationships have ended."




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Impeachment: A Preview for What Could Come Next for Donald Trump

Impeachment: A Preview for What Could Come Next for Donald TrumpAs the inquiry moves forward, it is important to understand that the Framers of the Constitution did not provide for impeachment as a partisan political weapon or as a response to a president’s policies with which members disagree. Here is how the process, according to the Constitution, should work.




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Ghosts of China's past haunt former capital Nanjing

Ghosts of China's past haunt former capital NanjingThe eastern city of Nanjing contains vestiges of China's past that represent an inconvenient truth for the government today: the Chinese world has not always revolved around the Communists and Beijing. China is preparing for grand celebrations next month to mark 70 years since Mao Zedong founded the Communist government based in the northern capital. "Nanjing was the capital of short-lived dynasties in history, and regimes died away quickly," Jiang Shaojian, a Nanjing resident, told an AFP journalist.




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2020 Nissan Titan Makeover Adds Sharper Looks, More Muscle

2020 Nissan Titan Makeover Adds Sharper Looks, More MuscleNissan updates its half-ton pickup truck with a revised powertrain, fresh styling, and new features.




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Boeing, FAA should fix 737 Max's automated systems so they don't confuse pilots, NTSB says

Boeing, FAA should fix 737 Max's automated systems so they don't confuse pilots, NTSB saysThe NTSB says the FAA should require Boeing to redesign its system in a way that is more intuitive, so pilots can take corrective action quickly.




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TV reporter responds to stranger who kissed her during live broadcast: 'It is not OK'

TV reporter responds to stranger who kissed her during live broadcast: 'It is not OK'A Kentucky TV reporter is speaking out after a stranger kissed her during a live broadcast last Friday. 




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Woman who rescued kitten on busy road surprised to learn it is not a kitten at all

Woman who rescued kitten on busy road surprised to learn it is not a kitten at allA Tennessee woman who believed she was rescuing a lost kitten was surprised when she found out the creature was actually a baby bobcat.




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Bangladesh to build barbed wire fences around Rohingya camps

Bangladesh to build barbed wire fences around Rohingya campsBangladesh is planning to install barbed-wire fencing, guard towers and cameras around Rohingya refugee camps, raising fears of prison-like conditions in the already bleak settlements.  The move comes amid growing security concerns and rising impatience in Dhaka that no solution has been found to repatriate or rehouse some one million refugees who have fled from Burma’s Rakhine state to the Bangladeshi port of Cox’s Bazar, most during a murderous military crackdown in 2017. "There are three large camps. We'll fence the three camps with barbed wires," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters this week. "Watch towers and CCTV cameras" would also be set up to monitor activity in the Cox's Bazar district settlements, he added, according to AFP.  Tensions over the camps have increased since a repatriation bid to encourage refugees to return to Burma in August failed because of the minority’s fears that they would not be allowed back to their homes and would never be granted Burmese citizenship.  Life inside the Bangladeshi camps is already bleak Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters The aborted attempt has heightened the possibility that a large section of the Rohingya community could be forcibly relocated in the near future to Bhasan Char, a remote, cyclone-prone silt island that only recently emerged from the sea.  Dhaka has been dialing up the pressure on the Rohingya, taking steps to restrict their activities, including the blocking of 3G and 4G mobile networks, confiscating SIM cards and mobile phones, reportedly over fears that criminal gangs are involved in murder and drug smuggling.  Two refugees were killed in a gun battle with Bangladeshi border guards after failing to surrender when they were caught trying to cross over from Burma early on Friday and reportedly opened fire. The guards claimed the men were carrying 70,000 methamphetamine tablets.  The movement of Rohingya refugees to and from the crowded Cox’s Bazar camps is already severely restricted, and families are unable to earn a livelihood and children cannot receive a higher education.  Aid workers have indicated that conditions in the squalid settlements are rapidly becoming more desperate.  Children in the camps have no hope of a higher education  Credit: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP “As tensions inside Cox’s Bazar mount, violence has become a daily occurrence and we know that there are many Rohingya refugees desperate to return to their homes,” Manish Agrawal, Bangladesh director for the International Rescue Committee, told The Telegraph earlier this month.  “People find it impossible to look to the future and live beyond each day; they cannot access basic services and finding work is out of the question.” But Mr Agarwal added that despite the hardships, there was still “immense fear” of returning to Burma and that any repatriation must be done on a safe and voluntary basis.  “This will only happen if the root causes of the crisis are addressed and the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar work collaboratively with the international community; the Rohingya people must have a viable pathway to citizenship, have access to jobs and services and, most of all, protected from harm,” he said.  Last year, a United Nations fact-finding team recommended the prosecution of top Burmese military commanders on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Burma has rejected the allegations.   In mid-September the team cited the lack of accountability for the perpetrators of the alleged crimes when it concluded that "that there is a serious risk that genocidal actions may occur or recur”.




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Rwanda welcomes first group of African refugees from Libya

Rwanda welcomes first group of African refugees from LibyaA group of 66 African refugees and asylum-seekers arrived in Kigali late Thursday, the UN said, the first of what could be thousands relocated from Libya under a new programme. Earlier this month, Rwanda signed a deal with the African Union (AU) and the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR agreeing to take in African refugees and asylum-seekers stranded in Libya.




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'OK' hand gesture, 'Bowlcut' added to civil rights group's online database of hate symbols

'OK' hand gesture, 'Bowlcut' added to civil rights group's online database of hate symbolsThe "OK" hand gesture, a mass killer's bowl-style haircut and an anthropomorphic moon wearing sunglasses are among 36 new entries in a Jewish civil rights group's online database of hate symbols used by white supremacists and other far-right extremists.




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Melting ice is slowing down the Atlantic ocean's circulation system. Yes, that's similar to what happens in 'The Day After Tomorrow.'

Melting ice is slowing down the Atlantic ocean's circulation system. Yes, that's similar to what happens in 'The Day After Tomorrow.'A new UN report found global oceans could rise 3 feet by 2100 due in part to melting ice. That melt could also slow the Atlantic ocean current system.




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Japan's Failed Twice to Track North Korean Missiles

Japan's Failed Twice to Track North Korean MissilesWe've got a problem.




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El Salvador president calls on Trump to keep protected status program for migrants

El Salvador president calls on Trump to keep protected status program for migrantsEl Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Thursday said the United States should promote legal migration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, calling on President Donald Trump to continue a program shielding some migrants from deportation. "If the U.S. government is serious about fighting irregular migration, it should support and encourage legal migration," he told reporters after giving a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, where the 38-year-old leader took a selfie on the podium.




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Change in the Saudi Birthplace of Islam Is Eyed Warily Worldwide

Change in the Saudi Birthplace of Islam Is Eyed Warily Worldwide(Bloomberg) -- The world’s 1.8 billion Muslims look to one country above all others.As the birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia is a symbol of purity for many who direct their prayers toward Mecca wherever they are in the world.The latest in a series of liberalizing reforms attributed to the modernizing influence of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman runs counter to that reputation for religious conservatism.As they awoke to the news on Friday that women from outside the kingdom would no longer be required to wear the flowing abaya that’s been mandatory for decades, Muslims in Asia broadly welcomed the shift. But many also expressed misgivings about the overall direction of the lodestar of the Islamic world, and wondered just how far the changes would go.“I view Saudi Arabia as the most sacred place for a Muslim,” said Amirah Fikri, 30, an administrator in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, who called the kingdom “an example of a Muslim country in the eyes of the world.”While reforms such as allowing women to drive and to travel without a guardian’s approval are positive, some things “are better left unchanged,” she said. The risk is of “harming the purity of Saudi when new, non-Islamic practices start to spread in the holy place.”Khashoggi MurderThe Saudi bid to appeal to tourists with a relaxed dress code for foreign women and the promise of easier access to the country is aimed at diversifying the economy away from its overwhelming reliance on oil. But it also serves to present a softer image of the kingdom to the west at a time when its reputation is distinctly mixed.The crown prince was excoriated internationally over the gruesome murder in Turkey last year of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, and his prosecution of a bloody war in Yemen resulting in famine and thousands of civilian casualties prompted Germany and other countries to halt weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.At home, the kingdom’s extensive use of the death penalty, torture, arbitrary detentions of rights activists and “severely restricted” freedoms are among the issues cited by Amnesty International in its overview of Saudi Arabia. “Despite limited reforms, including allowing women to drive, women faced systematic discrimination in law and practice and were inadequately protected against sexual and other violence,” Amnesty says.Yet that evidence of the country’s deeply conservative nature and its rigid interpretation of Islam helps to give a sense of the potential for domestic resistance to any kind of modernizing reform -- and the risks to the crown prince in pursuing change.“Tourism of course will help the economy, but if it involves anything that goes against our religious beliefs then it will not be accepted,” said Sultan, a 33-year-old resident of Riyadh, who only gave his first name. “Our religion is more important than anything.” Foreign tourists will “import their culture” and “over time, these ethics and values will be stripped away from our conservative society.”Necessary ChangeYet for many in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, Saudi Arabia has no choice but to open up.“Change is a necessity,” said Nasaruddin Umar, Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. “There will be pressure from the traditional clerics group in the country. But I see what MBS is doing as a smart move because he does so in a measured way.”Didik Saputra, a 32-year-old high school teacher from Depok in West Java, one of the most conservative Muslim provinces in Indonesia, spoke while on a visit to the country’s largest mosque in central Jakarta during its renovation and expansion.“Saudi Arabia must accept changes without totally eliminating the old customs and practices,” he said over the noise of construction workers. “I agree with MBS that Saudi Arabia must be progressive and promote modernization of Islam. That would be good as it will also improve the image of Islam in the world.”Beliefs and CultureThe threat of liberalization jeopardizing Saudi Arabia’s global standing among devout Muslims is a proposition dismissed by Ahmed Al-Khateeb, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and a key adviser to the crown prince. Saudi Arabia is any case no stranger to foreign visitors, he said.“We don’t expect this to affect Saudi Arabia’s image as the host for the Muslim world,” he told Bloomberg Television in Riyadh on Thursday. “The Muslim world knows that Saudi Arabia follows rules and has beliefs and culture.”Saudi Arabia has suffered far worse damage to its reputation in the recent past. It’s less than two decades since the kingdom almost became an international pariah after al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national, claimed the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.The country’s post-World War II alliance with the U.S. survived the 9/11 attacks orchestrated by bin Laden. Donald Trump chose Saudi Arabia as the destination for his first overseas trip as president, and was quick to rally to its side after this month’s attacks on Saudi oil installations widely attributed to regional rival Iran. However, that dependence on the U.S., more than Saudi Arabia’s reform efforts, is regarded with suspicion by some Muslims.“Saudi has lost her nobility ever since they chose to be in bed with the United States to fund extremist groups and create violent conflicts in their neighboring Arab countries,” said Fatin Mohd Husni, 29, a teacher in Malaysia. “So I see these reforms as neither diminishing nor harming the purity of Saudi, because there’s nothing so pure about the Saudi administration to begin with.”Drawing a LineIn India, with some 200 million Muslims, men heading out of Friday prayers at the Jama Masjid adjacent to Parliament House in New Delhi welcomed Saudi Arabia’s move to open up.“Muslims across the world should support Saudi Arabia’s decision,” said Fazle Mobin Siddique, 45, secretary at the Diamond Charitable and Educational Trust in the central-Indian city of Nagpur. “This is a progressive step for Islam. Excessive restrictions on women and the moral police needed to go.”For Tauqueer Khan, 40, a government consultant, Saudi Arabia’s reforms are an effort to counter the stigma of being “synonymous with backwardness, extremism, radicalism and terrorism” and show the world it too can change with time.“These changes up to a certain level is OK,” he said. “But if they go beyond these and open up a pub with liquor, it will not acceptable at all. The Muslim world looks on Saudi as the guardian of Islam. If they go beyond a certain level, obviously, the Muslim community will not like that.’’\--With assistance from Donna Abu-Nasr, Sarah Algethami and Bibhudatta Pradhan.To contact the reporters on this story: Anisah Shukry in Kuala Lumpur at ashukry2@bloomberg.net;Arys Aditya in Jakarta at aaditya5@bloomberg.net;Archana Chaudhary in New Delhi at achaudhary2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




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Biden, Weathering Attacks From Trump, Returns to Campaign Trail


By BY SYDNEY EMBER AND KATIE GLUECK from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2lGyQD8