Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The Latest: Trump arrives at fundraiser, met by protesters
North Korea calls for execution of ex-South Korea leader over 'assassination' plot
By Andrew Cawthorne and Victoria Ramirez CARACAS (Reuters) - The Venezuelan government hunted on Wednesday for rogue policemen who attacked key installations by helicopter, but critics of President Nicolas Maduro suspected the raid may have been staged to justify repression. In extraordinary scenes over Caracas around sunset on Tuesday, the stolen helicopter fired shots at the Interior Ministry and dropped grenades on the Supreme Court, both viewed by Venezuela's opposition as bastions of support for a dictator. Officials said special forces were seeking Oscar Perez, 36, a police pilot named as the mastermind of the raid by the helicopter that carried a banner saying "Freedom!" In 2015, Perez co-produced and starred in "Death Suspended," an action film in which he played the lead role as a government agent rescuing a kidnapped businessman.
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong detained by police
Hong Kong student pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong was detained by police on Wednesday after an anti-China protest ahead of a visit by President Xi Jinping. Wong was among around 30 protesters who had staged a three-hour sit-in at a harbourfront statue and were led away into police vans. Xi's visit this week marks 20 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain and comes at a time when fears are growing that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city.
Hong Kong student pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong was detained by police on Wednesday after an anti-China protest ahead of a visit by President Xi Jinping. Wong was among around 30 protesters who had staged a three-hour sit-in at a harbourfront statue and were led away into police vans. Xi's visit this week marks 20 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain and comes at a time when fears are growing that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city.
Protesters across the country oppose GOP's health care plan
On Tuesday in Pittsburg, Kan., disability rights activists protested against the Senate Republican health care bill that would slash Medicaid funding and roll back Obama’s expansion of the program. They protested in Salt Lake City and in Colorado. It was just one small example of the grassroots effort to target Republican senators in their states that’s become a feature of the political world under Trump.
In many ways, Dr. Mai-Khanh Tran isn’t all that different from millions of other Democrats who have been dismayed or depressed or indignant since Donald Trump was elected president. On election night, Tran watched in shock as the returns rolled in. The next morning, she wept at work — Tran is a pediatrician — with her colleagues.
On Tuesday in Pittsburg, Kan., disability rights activists protested against the Senate Republican health care bill that would slash Medicaid funding and roll back Obama’s expansion of the program. They protested in Salt Lake City and in Colorado. It was just one small example of the grassroots effort to target Republican senators in their states that’s become a feature of the political world under Trump.
Can Democratic ‘Wonder Woman’ Mai-Khanh Tran unseat one of the most powerful House Republicans in 2018?
In many ways, Dr. Mai-Khanh Tran isn’t all that different from millions of other Democrats who have been dismayed or depressed or indignant since Donald Trump was elected president. On election night, Tran watched in shock as the returns rolled in. The next morning, she wept at work — Tran is a pediatrician — with her colleagues.
In many ways, Dr. Mai-Khanh Tran isn’t all that different from millions of other Democrats who have been dismayed or depressed or indignant since Donald Trump was elected president. On election night, Tran watched in shock as the returns rolled in. The next morning, she wept at work — Tran is a pediatrician — with her colleagues.
Iran said on Wednesday it would take "reciprocal action" in response to the U.S. Supreme Court allowing a partial implementation of President Donald Trump's travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries. Lower U.S. courts had completely blocked Trump's executive order issued on March 6, which includes a blanket 90-day ban on people from countries including Iran and Libya and a 120-day ban on all refugees. The decision is "an indication of the decision of the leaders of that country to discriminate against Muslims," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi was cited as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman will block all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and five other countries
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker has announced he will block any future arms sales to six Gulf Region countries while they are engaged in a major dispute over funding for terrorism. Five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members voted to cut ties with fellow Council member Qatar earlier this month. The states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, claim Qatar has been funding Sunni Islamic terrorism and working on behalf of Iran.
If tree-covered skyscrapers act like enormous air filters, this cluster of buildings will be a clean air oasis. China has broken ground on a "forest city" in the southern city of Liuzhou. The development, which will span two-thirds of a mile along the Liujiang River, involves blanketing offices, apartments, hotels, and schools with more than a million plants and about 40,000 trees. SEE ALSO: How drones are helping to plant trees The verdant towers will help soak up urban air pollution, produce clean oxygen, and boost local biodiversity. The greenery also provides shade on sunny days and acts as an insulating blanket during winter, allowing tenants to use less heating and electricity. Liuzhou Forest City will span 175 hectares, or 0.67 miles, along the Liujiang River.Image: stefano boeri architettiIf the concept sounds familiar, that's because these buildings are the work of Stefano Boeri Architetti, the same architecture firm behind the two "vertical forest" buildings planned for Nanjing in eastern China. Liuzhou city officials commissioned the Italian company to build the development, which will host about 30,000 people and be connected to the main Liuzhou city — population 3.8 million — via a fast-rail line used by electric cars. The forest city, now under construction, is expected to be completed by 2020, the Milan-based architects confirmed by email. 'Vertical forest' buildings in the Liuzhou development.Image: stefano boeri architettiThe development is a flashy but tiny effort to combat the dangerous smog and toxic air pollution that's choking China's industrialized cities. It comes as China is building more wind and solar power than any country in the world to slash emissions from coal plants, factories, and vehicles, and to combat climate change. Stefano Boeri's firm, which recently completed two verdant towers in Milan, is planning to expand into other smoggy cities, including China's Shijiazhuang, Guizhou, Shanghai, and Chongqing. In the Liuzhou Forest City, buildings, parks, and gardens will absorb almost 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of fine dust pollutants per year, while producing about 900 tons of oxygen, the architects said in a press release. By comparison, the two green towers in Nanjing will absorb 25 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 0.06 tons of oxygen. An electric railway will link the 'forest city' to the main Liuzhou city.Image: stefano boeri architettiBeyond sucking up toxic air, the urban greenery is also expected to stifle noise pollution and support biodiversity by providing a habitat for the local birds, insects, and small animals that inhabit Liuzhou. The project will include residential areas, commercial and recreational spaces, plus two schools and a hospital. Along with plants, the buildings will also feature rooftop solar panels to produce clean electricity and use geothermal energy systems for interior air-conditioning. Stefano Boeri Architetti said the Liuzhou Forest City represents its broader effort to design a "new generation" of architecture and urban environments to address climate change. WATCH: China's big, beautiful, green 'vertical forests' will suck up toxic smog
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker has announced he will block any future arms sales to six Gulf Region countries while they are engaged in a major dispute over funding for terrorism. Five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members voted to cut ties with fellow Council member Qatar earlier this month. The states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, claim Qatar has been funding Sunni Islamic terrorism and working on behalf of Iran.
If tree-covered skyscrapers act like enormous air filters, this cluster of buildings will be a clean air oasis. China has broken ground on a "forest city" in the southern city of Liuzhou. The development, which will span two-thirds of a mile along the Liujiang River, involves blanketing offices, apartments, hotels, and schools with more than a million plants and about 40,000 trees. SEE ALSO: How drones are helping to plant trees The verdant towers will help soak up urban air pollution, produce clean oxygen, and boost local biodiversity. The greenery also provides shade on sunny days and acts as an insulating blanket during winter, allowing tenants to use less heating and electricity. Liuzhou Forest City will span 175 hectares, or 0.67 miles, along the Liujiang River.Image: stefano boeri architettiIf the concept sounds familiar, that's because these buildings are the work of Stefano Boeri Architetti, the same architecture firm behind the two "vertical forest" buildings planned for Nanjing in eastern China. Liuzhou city officials commissioned the Italian company to build the development, which will host about 30,000 people and be connected to the main Liuzhou city — population 3.8 million — via a fast-rail line used by electric cars. The forest city, now under construction, is expected to be completed by 2020, the Milan-based architects confirmed by email. 'Vertical forest' buildings in the Liuzhou development.Image: stefano boeri architettiThe development is a flashy but tiny effort to combat the dangerous smog and toxic air pollution that's choking China's industrialized cities. It comes as China is building more wind and solar power than any country in the world to slash emissions from coal plants, factories, and vehicles, and to combat climate change. Stefano Boeri's firm, which recently completed two verdant towers in Milan, is planning to expand into other smoggy cities, including China's Shijiazhuang, Guizhou, Shanghai, and Chongqing. In the Liuzhou Forest City, buildings, parks, and gardens will absorb almost 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of fine dust pollutants per year, while producing about 900 tons of oxygen, the architects said in a press release. By comparison, the two green towers in Nanjing will absorb 25 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 0.06 tons of oxygen. An electric railway will link the 'forest city' to the main Liuzhou city.Image: stefano boeri architettiBeyond sucking up toxic air, the urban greenery is also expected to stifle noise pollution and support biodiversity by providing a habitat for the local birds, insects, and small animals that inhabit Liuzhou. The project will include residential areas, commercial and recreational spaces, plus two schools and a hospital. Along with plants, the buildings will also feature rooftop solar panels to produce clean electricity and use geothermal energy systems for interior air-conditioning. Stefano Boeri Architetti said the Liuzhou Forest City represents its broader effort to design a "new generation" of architecture and urban environments to address climate change. WATCH: China's big, beautiful, green 'vertical forests' will suck up toxic smog
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
'Good Samaritan' Trying to Help Lost Toddler Attacked by Child's Father: Cops
(Reuters) - A global ransomware attack on Tuesday hit computers at Russia's biggest oil company, Ukraine's international airport, global shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk and the world's biggest advertising agency WPP . Following is a list of companies and organisations that have reported being hit by cyber attacks: ROSNEFT Russia's top oil producer Rosneft said its servers had been hit been a large-scale cyber attack but its oil production was unaffected.
By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Tuesday placed China on its global list of the worst offenders in human trafficking and forced labor, a step that could aggravate tensions with Beijing that had eased under President Donald Trump. Trump, however, has grown increasingly frustrated over China's inaction on North Korea and bilateral trade issues and is considering possible trade actions against Beijing, three senior administration officials told Reuters. Myanmar was upgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List of nations that deserve special scrutiny, from Tier 3, which includes those countries not complying with minimum U.S. standards and making no significant effort to do so.