Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Cory Booker After Synagogue Shooting: 'We Need To Understand That Words Matter'

Cory Booker After Synagogue Shooting: 'We Need To Understand That Words Matter'Sen. Cory Booker implored fellow officials to be "mindful of what we're




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Trump blames 'Fake News Media' for 'division and hatred'

Trump blames 'Fake News Media' for 'division and hatred'The president called for capital punishment for Pittsburgh shooting suspect.




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Student dies after fight ends in gunfire at NC high school

Student dies after fight ends in gunfire at NC high schoolA North Carolina high school student shot and killed a fellow student during a fight in a crowded school hallway Monday, officials said, calling the incident a case of bullying that "escalated out of control" which had students scurrying to escape and parents rushing to campus to check on their children.




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Indonesia warns over 'fake news' after deadly jet crash

Indonesia warns over 'fake news' after deadly jet crashIndonesia warned social media users on Tuesday against spreading hoaxes, as rescue teams searched for human remains from a horrifying jet crash. A string of false stories have been circulating online since the Lion Air plane plunged into the sea off Jakarta on Monday with 189 people on board. Please be wise," Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, tweeted.




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Kentucky Dad Apologizes For Father-Son Nazi Halloween Costumes

Kentucky Dad Apologizes For Father-Son Nazi Halloween CostumesA Kentucky father who donned a Nazi uniform and dressed his son as Adolf




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Mourning the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack

Mourning the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attackAcross the country, prayer vigils and ecumenical services were held in tribute to the 11 victims of the bloody assault on a Pittsburgh synagogue as words of solace and commiseration poured in from the U.S. Jewish community -- the largest outside Israel -- but also from the pope and European leaders.




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Democrats Are Going Bland To Beat Scott Walker — And It Might Just Work

Democrats Are Going Bland To Beat Scott Walker — And It Might Just WorkMILWAUKEE -- On back-to-back days last week, some of the most exciting




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Mail bomb suspect ordered held without bail, new package found

Mail bomb suspect ordered held without bail, new package foundA man accused of mailing 14 pipe bombs to prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump was ordered held without bail on Monday, and authorities intercepted a similar suspicious package addressed to CNN in Atlanta. Democrats are battling to seize control of a Congress now held by Trump's Republican Party. In U.S. District Court on Monday afternoon, Cesar Sayoc, his salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail, remained largely silent, only acknowledging Judge Edwin Torres' reading of the charges against him.




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UN rights chief wants 'international experts' to help probe Khashoggi hit

UN rights chief wants 'international experts' to help probe Khashoggi hitThe UN rights chief called Tuesday for "international experts" to help investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and called on Riyadh to reveal the whereabouts of his body. "For an investigation to be carried out free of any appearance of political considerations, the involvement of international experts, with full access to evidence and witnesses, would be highly desirable," Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork ahead of his upcoming wedding.




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Lindsey Graham Says He'll Back Trump On Birthright Citizenship With Legislation

Lindsey Graham Says He'll Back Trump On Birthright Citizenship With LegislationSen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday backed President Donald Trump's vow to




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The synagogue massacre was actually in Mister Rogers's neighborhood. What would he say?

The synagogue massacre was actually in Mister Rogers's neighborhood. What would he say?Karen Struble Myers of the Fred Rogers Center reflected on what Rogers's message for America would be in the aftermath of the shooting in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh, where lived in and filmed his famous TV show.




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Over nearly a century, Rose Mallinger saw the best and worst of America. Until Saturday.

Over nearly a century, Rose Mallinger saw the best and worst of America. Until Saturday.The oldest victim of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting had seen anti-Semitism rise and fall over the years, but was shielded from the worst of it. Until Saturday.




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Global wildlife populations fall 60 per cent as WWF declares state of emergency for natural world

Global wildlife populations fall 60 per cent as WWF declares state of emergency for natural worldConservationists have issued a demand for urgent international action after a major report uncovered an unprecedented crisis in nature that threatens to devastate the world economy and imperil humanity itself. Only a global pact on the scale of the Paris Agreement on climate change will save the natural world from irreversible collapse, the World Wide Fund for Nature said after publishing a report showing a cataclysmic decline in global wildlife populations. Global vertebrate populations have fallen by 60 per cent since 1970 as human activity destroys their natural habitats in grasslands, forests, waterways and oceans, the organisation said. Until the turn of the 20th century, humanity’s consumption of the world’s natural resources was smaller than Earth’s ability to replenish itself. But over the past 50 years expanding agricultural activity and the over-exploitation of natural resources to feed a growing world population, particularly its booming middle class, has pushed many ecosystems to the brink of collapse. The Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, is being cleared for soy monoculture Credit:  Adriano Gambarni/ PA “Humans are living beyond the planet’s means and wiping out life on earth in the process,” the report warns. From the savannahs of Africa to the rain forests of South America and oceans across the world, few  wildlife populations have been spared. While great attention has been given to the impact of poaching on elephants and rhinos in Africa, the story has been more dismal in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 89 percent of indigenous mammals like the jaguar and anteater have been wiped out. Statistics are just as grim in the world’s rivers, lakes and seas. More than 80 per cent of freshwater populations has vanished, with freshwater fish accounting for a higher rate of extinction than any other vertebrate. Since 1950 nearly 6bn tonnes of fish and other seafood have been removed from the world’s oceans. Employees move freshly caught fish at a factory in the Angolan coastal city of Benguela Credit: AFP For surviving populations the impact of human activity is also stark: some 90 per cent of the world’s seabirds have plastic in their stomach, compared to just 5 per cent in 1960. Plastic pollution now stretches across the seas of the earth, even reaching the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific, the deepest natural point in the world. With just a quarter of the planet’s land now free from human impact, the space bird, reptile and mammal populations' need to recover is growing ever more limited. “We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last that can do anything about it,” said Tanya Steele, chief executive of the WWF. “The collapse of global wildlife populations is a warning sign that nature is dying." As tragic as the collapse of wildlife populations is, the impact of habitat loss will have a profound impact on human wellbeing, conservationists say. Man’s encroachment on nature threatens agriculture itself, because crops pollinated by animals account for 35 per cent of global food production, while habitat loss means that the soil for crops to grow is not being replenished with nutrients. Under threat | The 19 species on the World Wildlife Fund's critically endangered list The loss of South American rainforests has reduced rainfall thousands of miles away, also imperilling crop production. As many as 70,000 species of plants are used commercially or in medicine, posing a danger to efforts to fight disease and protect industry. Yet the issue, conservationists say, is not being taken as seriously as climate change — even though protecting nature can help mitigate the impact of global warming — which is why it is essential for big business and government to come together to find a solution to the crisis. “The statistics are scary, but all hope is not lost,” said Ken Norris, director of science at the Zoological Society of London, which collaborated on the report. “We have an opportunity to design a new way forward that allows us to coexist sustainably with the wildlife we depend on.”




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Pittsburgh shooting suspect appears in court over attack that left 11 dead

Pittsburgh shooting suspect appears in court over attack that left 11 deadThree congregations were conducting Sabbath services at Tree of Life when the attack began on Saturday morning. A man accused of killing 11 Jewish worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend appeared in federal court on Monday to face multiple charges that federal law enforcement officials said could result in the suspect’s execution.




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GOP Campaign Chief Condemns Steve King Over White Supremacist Rhetoric

GOP Campaign Chief Condemns Steve King Over White Supremacist RhetoricA top House Republican on Tuesday condemned Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) for his




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New Tallest Statue in the World Is Twice the Size of the Statue of Liberty

New Tallest Statue in the World Is Twice the Size of the Statue of LibertyThe world's tallest statue was unveiled Wednesday in India.




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Indonesian plane crashes into sea, all 189 on board feared dead

Indonesian plane crashes into sea, all 189 on board feared deadAn Indonesian airliner crashed into the sea on Monday, with the likely loss of all 189 people on board, as it tried to return to Jakarta minutes after take-off. Lion Air flight JT610, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from the capital to Pangkal Pinang, centre of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Indonesia is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, but its safety record is patchy.




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After years of fighting insurgencies, the Army pivots to training for a major war

After years of fighting insurgencies, the Army pivots to training for a major warAfter 17 years of fighting grinding counterinsurgencies in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is shifting its gaze.




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Trump Visits Pittsburgh As Local Officials Decline To Join Him

Trump Visits Pittsburgh As Local Officials Decline To Join HimPresident Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, visited




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Pittsburgh shooting: Jewish medics helped to save synagogue gunman's life

Pittsburgh shooting: Jewish medics helped to save synagogue gunman's lifeJewish doctors and medical staff helped to save the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s life, it has been revealed. Eleven people were killed and six others wounded after a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Jewish neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill on Saturday. Authorities made clear they believed the attack was motivated by religious hatred and 46-year-old Robert Bowers has been charged in connection with the incident.




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Trump blames media, 'the true Enemy of the People,' for inspiring hate

Trump blames media, 'the true Enemy of the People,' for inspiring hatePresident Trump lashed out at the press Monday for criticism of his response to the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue and the mail bomb plot targeting Democrats.




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'What Happened Yesterday Will Not Break Us': Pittsburgh After The Horror

'What Happened Yesterday Will Not Break Us': Pittsburgh After The HorrorPITTSBURGH -- Susan Friedberg Kalson stood near the synagogue where a day




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Indonesian airline whose plane crashed a low-cost high flyer

Indonesian airline whose plane crashed a low-cost high flyerBANGKOK (AP) — Lion Air, the airline whose plane crashed early Monday while traveling from Jakarta to an island off Indonesia's Sumatra with 189 people on board, is a fast-growing low-cost airline with a mixed safety record.




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Erdogan Trumpets Turkey's Clout at Gigantic New Airport Opening

Erdogan Trumpets Turkey's Clout at Gigantic New Airport OpeningThe new airport, located some 20 miles outside Istanbul on the coast of the Black Sea, will cover 76.5 million square meters (29.5 miles) upon completion -- a footprint larger than Manhattan. Erdogan ended years of speculation about the name of the new airport, saying that it’ll be named “Istanbul Airport." The current main international airport, Ataturk, will continue limited operations under that name, he said. Istanbul has another airport on its Asian coast, called Sabiha Gokcen, one of 40 new airports built during Erdogan’s time in office.




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Kellyanne Conway’s Husband Shreds Trump Proposal To End Birthright Citizenship

Kellyanne Conway’s Husband Shreds Trump Proposal To End Birthright CitizenshipGeorge Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, co-




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Pittsburgh shooting: Hero Dr Jerry Rabinowitz died rushing into gunfire at synagogue to help the wounded

Pittsburgh shooting: Hero Dr Jerry Rabinowitz died rushing into gunfire at synagogue to help the woundedDr Jerry Rabinowitz, one of the victims in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend, has been hailed for helping the wounded in his final moments. The 66-year-old doctor is one of 11 people killed in an apparent antisemitic attack targeting the Tree of Life, a synagogue located in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighbourhood. As a shooter opened fire on the community’s weekly Saturday service, he reportedly rushed to help those injured, according to his nephew, Avisahi Ostrin, who wrote about the tragedy in a public Facebook post.




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Punishing U.S. sanctions against Iran kick in Sunday

Punishing U.S. sanctions against Iran kick in SundayPunishing new U.S. sanctions against Iran take effect this weekend. The measures are aimed at quashing the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions, as well as its missile programs and influence in Syria. Elizabeth Palmer reports from Tehran.




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Correction: Shooting-Synagogue-The Latest story

Correction: Shooting-Synagogue-The Latest storyPITTSBURGH (AP) — In a story Oct. 29 about developments in the aftermath of the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, The Associated Press erroneously reported the professional position of Cecil and David Rosenthal's sister. She is state Rep. Dan Frankel's former chief of staff, not his current chief of staff.




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The Bizarre And Failed Attempt To Smear Robert Mueller

The Bizarre And Failed Attempt To Smear Robert MuellerIt's hoaxes all the way down in what appears to be an effort to discredit




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Man says traffic made him miss doomed Lion Air crash, believed to have killed everyone on board

Man says traffic made him miss doomed Lion Air crash, believed to have killed everyone on boardA man who was supposed to be on the Lion Air jet that crashed on Monday




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Travel blogger who warned against dangerous selfies dies 'taking cliff edge photo'

Travel blogger who warned against dangerous selfies dies 'taking cliff edge photo'A travel blogger who fell to her death alongside her husband while apparently taking selfies on a cliff edge had previously warned tourists against attempting to capture dangerous photographs. Rangers at Yosemite National Park in California found the bodies of Vishnu Viswanath and Meenakshi Moorthy around 800 feet below Taft Point, where visitors can gaze over an unguarded cliff face. Viswanath’s brother, Jishnu Viswanath, told reporters on Tuesday the pair had set up a tripod close to the sheer ledge shortly before they apparently fell.




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Lion Air crash: Passengers recall 'panic' over engine problems on previous flight from Bali

Lion Air crash: Passengers recall 'panic' over engine problems on previous flight from BaliDivers searched on Tuesday for victims of the Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people and high-tech equipment was deployed to find its data recorders as reports emerged of problems on the jet's previous flight that had terrified passengers. Search and rescue personnel worked through the night, sending 24 body bags to identification experts while the airline flew dozens of grieving relatives to the country's capital, Jakarta. The two-month-old Boeing jet crashed into the Java Sea early on Monday, just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta for an island off Sumatra. Its pilot had requested clearance to return to the airport just 2-3 minutes after takeoff, which aviation experts said indicated a problem, though its cause is still baffling. The National Search and Rescue Agency said 10 intact bodies as well as body parts have been recovered. Aircraft debris and personal belongings from ID cards to clothing and bags found scattered in seas northeast of Jakarta are being spread out on tarps at a port in north Jakarta. The disaster has reignited concerns about safety in Indonesia's fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from European Union and US blacklists. Jakarta plane crash: Flight Lion Air JT610 Two passengers on the plane's previous flight from Bali to Jakarta on Sunday have described issues that caused frustration and alarm. Alon Soetanto told TVOne the plane dropped suddenly several times in the first few minutes of its flight. "About three to eight minutes after it took off, I felt like the plane was losing power and unable to rise. That happened several times during the flight," he said. "We felt like in a roller coaster. Some passengers began to panic and vomit." His account is consistent with data from flight-tracking sites that show erratic speed, altitude and direction in the minutes after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet took off. A similar pattern is also seen in data pinged from Monday's fatal flight. Safety experts cautioned, however, that the data must be checked for accuracy against the plane's so-called black boxes, which officials are confident will be recovered. Lion Air's president Edward Sirait said there were reports of technical problems with the flight from Bali but said it had been resolved in accordance with the procedures released by the plane manufacturer. In a detailed post online, Indonesian TV presenter Conchita Caroline said boarding of Sunday's flight was delayed by more than an hour and when the plane was being towed, a technical problem forced it to return to its parking space. She said passengers sat in the cabin without air conditioning for at least 30 minutes listening to an "unusual" engine roar, while some children vomited from the overbearing heat, until staff faced with rising anger let them disembark. After about 30 minutes of passengers waiting on the tarmac, they were told to board again while an engine was checked. Caroline said she queried a staff member but was met with a defensive response. "He just showed me the flight permit that he had signed and he said the problem had been settled," she said. "He treated me like a passenger full of disturbing dramas even though what I was asking represented friends and confused tourists who didn't understand Indonesian." Women, who are relatives of passengers on the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, cry at Bhayangkara R. Said Sukanto hospital in Jakarta Credit: Reuters Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of a plane with experienced pilots in fine weather. "This is a very difficult time for our family," said Leo Sihombing, outside a crisis centre set up for family members at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport. "We know that it is very unlikely that my cousin is still alive, but no one can provide any certainty or explanation," he said as other family members wept and hugged each other. "What we hope now is rescuers can find his body, so we can bury him properly, and authorities can reveal what caused the plane crash," Sihombing said. Specialist ships and a remotely operated underwater vehicle have been deployed to search for the plane's hull and flight recorder. At a glance | Annual aviation deaths Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi has said he's certain it won't take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its flight recorders due to the relatively shallow 30 meter (115 foot) depth of the waters where it crashed. The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board. Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June. The U.S. lifted a decadelong ban in 2016. Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. Earlier this year it confirmed a deal to buy 50 new Boeing narrow-body aircraft worth an estimated $6.2 billion. It has been expanding aggressively in Southeast Asia, a fast-growing region of more than 600 million people.




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Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Iranian immigrant raises more than $650,000 for Jewish victims

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Iranian immigrant raises more than $650,000 for Jewish victimsShay Khatiri first heard about the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue from a friend. Mr Khatiri, who had been crashing on his Jewish friend’s couch for several months, woke up to see his friend visibly shaken from the tragic news and wanted to do something. “I thought about [making] a small donation, and then I thought it’d be better if I start this campaign,” Mr Khatiri told The Independent.




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Lindsey Graham Says He'll Back Trump On Birthright Citizenship With Legislation

Lindsey Graham Says He'll Back Trump On Birthright Citizenship With LegislationSen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday backed President Donald Trump's vow to




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FedEx announces it is cutting its NRA discount program citing decline in business

FedEx announces it is cutting its NRA discount program citing decline in businessFedEx confirmed to Reuters' Breakingviews on Tuesday that it is ending a




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Gab.com goes offline after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Gab.com goes offline after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting(This story corrects paragraph four to show non-profit group helps all refugees, not only Jewish refugees) By Trevor Hunnicutt and Paresh Dave (Reuters) - Gab.com, the website where the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue gunman posted anti-Semitic views, said on Sunday it was offline for a period of time after being asked by its domain provider to move to another registrar. The move comes after GoDaddy Inc asked Gab to change the domain, while PayPal Holdings Inc , Stripe Inc and Joynet Inc blocked the website. "We have informed Gab.com that they have 24 hours to move the domain to another registrar," a spokesman for GoDaddy said, adding the site violated its terms of service and hosted content that "promotes and encourages violence against people." The 46-year-old suspect Robert Bowers in the shooting incident has been charged with murdering 11 people on Saturday in the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States.




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Student dies after fight ends in gunfire at NC high school

Student dies after fight ends in gunfire at NC high schoolA North Carolina high school student shot and killed a fellow student during a fight in a crowded school hallway Monday, officials said, calling the incident a case of bullying that "escalated out of control" which had students scurrying to escape and parents rushing to campus to check on their children.




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Global wildlife populations fall 60 per cent as WWF declares state of emergency for natural world

Global wildlife populations fall 60 per cent as WWF declares state of emergency for natural worldConservationists have issued a demand for urgent international action after a major report uncovered an unprecedented crisis in nature that threatens to devastate the world economy and imperil humanity itself. Only a global pact on the scale of the Paris Agreement on climate change will save the natural world from irreversible collapse, the World Wide Fund for Nature said after publishing a report showing a cataclysmic decline in global wildlife populations. Global vertebrate populations have fallen by 60 per cent since 1970 as human activity destroys their natural habitats in grasslands, forests, waterways and oceans, the organisation said. Until the turn of the 20th century, humanity’s consumption of the world’s natural resources was smaller than Earth’s ability to replenish itself. But over the past 50 years expanding agricultural activity and the over-exploitation of natural resources to feed a growing world population, particularly its booming middle class, has pushed many ecosystems to the brink of collapse. The Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, is being cleared for soy monoculture Credit:  Adriano Gambarni/ PA “Humans are living beyond the planet’s means and wiping out life on earth in the process,” the report warns. From the savannahs of Africa to the rain forests of South America and oceans across the world, few  wildlife populations have been spared. While great attention has been given to the impact of poaching on elephants and rhinos in Africa, the story has been more dismal in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 89 percent of indigenous mammals like the jaguar and anteater have been wiped out. Statistics are just as grim in the world’s rivers, lakes and seas. More than 80 per cent of freshwater populations has vanished, with freshwater fish accounting for a higher rate of extinction than any other vertebrate. Since 1950 nearly 6bn tonnes of fish and other seafood have been removed from the world’s oceans. Employees move freshly caught fish at a factory in the Angolan coastal city of Benguela Credit: AFP For surviving populations the impact of human activity is also stark: some 90 per cent of the world’s seabirds have plastic in their stomach, compared to just 5 per cent in 1960. Plastic pollution now stretches across the seas of the earth, even reaching the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific, the deepest natural point in the world. With just a quarter of the planet’s land now free from human impact, the space bird, reptile and mammal populations' need to recover is growing ever more limited. “We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last that can do anything about it,” said Tanya Steele, chief executive of the WWF. “The collapse of global wildlife populations is a warning sign that nature is dying." As tragic as the collapse of wildlife populations is, the impact of habitat loss will have a profound impact on human wellbeing, conservationists say. Man’s encroachment on nature threatens agriculture itself, because crops pollinated by animals account for 35 per cent of global food production, while habitat loss means that the soil for crops to grow is not being replenished with nutrients. Under threat | The 19 species on the World Wildlife Fund's critically endangered list The loss of South American rainforests has reduced rainfall thousands of miles away, also imperilling crop production. As many as 70,000 species of plants are used commercially or in medicine, posing a danger to efforts to fight disease and protect industry. Yet the issue, conservationists say, is not being taken as seriously as climate change — even though protecting nature can help mitigate the impact of global warming — which is why it is essential for big business and government to come together to find a solution to the crisis. “The statistics are scary, but all hope is not lost,” said Ken Norris, director of science at the Zoological Society of London, which collaborated on the report. “We have an opportunity to design a new way forward that allows us to coexist sustainably with the wildlife we depend on.”




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India deploys huge security for inauguration of world's biggest statue

India deploys huge security for inauguration of world's biggest statueThousands of police guarded the world's biggest statue ahead of its inauguration by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday with local people threatening protests over the enormous figure. Activists said about a dozen of their leaders had been detained ahead of the spectacular opening of the 182-metre (600-foot) tall tribute to Indian independence hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with air force jets and helicopters to shower flowers on the statue during a flypast. Anand Mazgaonkar, a community group leader in Narmada district of Gujarat state where the statue has been built over the past four years, said plain clothes police took away 12 people late Tuesday to the local police headquarters.




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Trump blames 'Fake News Media' for 'division and hatred'

Trump blames 'Fake News Media' for 'division and hatred'The president called for capital punishment for Pittsburgh shooting suspect.




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Indonesian plane crashes into sea, all 189 on board feared dead

Indonesian plane crashes into sea, all 189 on board feared deadLion Air flight JT610, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from the capital to Pangkal Pinang, center of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Indonesia is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, but its safety record is patchy. "An RTB was requested and had been approved but we're still trying to figure out the reason," Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia's transport safety committee, told reporters, referring to the pilot's request.




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Mourning the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack

Mourning the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attackAcross the country, prayer vigils and ecumenical services were held in tribute to the 11 victims of the bloody assault on a Pittsburgh synagogue as words of solace and commiseration poured in from the U.S. Jewish community -- the largest outside Israel -- but also from the pope and European leaders.




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House Dems Will Prioritize LGBT Rights Legislation After Midterms

House Dems Will Prioritize LGBT Rights Legislation After MidtermsShould they reclaim a majority in the House come November, Democrats will prioritize legislation that would extend federal anti-discrimination protections to the LGBT community, minority leader Nancy Pelosi said recently. The legislation, which Pelosi unveiled during a speech at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, would expand upon the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which currently covers race, religion, gender, and national origin — to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. If passed, the bill would outlaw discrimination against LGBT Americans seeking loans, applying for jobs, ordering in a restaurant, or seeking to serve on a jury.




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'Fox & Friends' Host Says Migrant Caravan May Be Bringing 'Diseases' To America

'Fox & Friends' Host Says Migrant Caravan May Be Bringing 'Diseases' To America"Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade warned viewers on Monday about the migrant




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Rabbi cites Jesus in prayer for synagogue victims with Pence

Rabbi cites Jesus in prayer for synagogue victims with PenceWASHINGTON (AP) — A rabbi invited to pray at a Michigan campaign stop with Vice President Mike Pence for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre referenced "Jesus the Messiah" at the event.




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Boston Red Sox Are Trolling Fans Who Sent Negative Tweets On Opening Day

Boston Red Sox Are Trolling Fans Who Sent Negative Tweets On Opening DayFor the Boston Red Sox, victory may be sweet, but revenge tastes awfully good




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Coach Steve Kerr Calls U.S. ‘Broken Country’ After Synagogue Massacre

Coach Steve Kerr Calls U.S. ‘Broken Country’ After Synagogue MassacreGolden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been one of the sports world's go-




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Lion Air crash: Passengers recall 'panic' over engine problems on previous flight from Bali

Lion Air crash: Passengers recall 'panic' over engine problems on previous flight from BaliDivers searched on Tuesday for victims of the Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people and high-tech equipment was deployed to find its data recorders as reports emerged of problems on the jet's previous flight that had terrified passengers. Search and rescue personnel worked through the night, sending 24 body bags to identification experts while the airline flew dozens of grieving relatives to the country's capital, Jakarta. The two-month-old Boeing jet crashed into the Java Sea early on Monday, just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta for an island off Sumatra. Its pilot had requested clearance to return to the airport just 2-3 minutes after takeoff, which aviation experts said indicated a problem, though its cause is still baffling. The National Search and Rescue Agency said 10 intact bodies as well as body parts have been recovered. Aircraft debris and personal belongings from ID cards to clothing and bags found scattered in seas northeast of Jakarta are being spread out on tarps at a port in north Jakarta. The disaster has reignited concerns about safety in Indonesia's fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from European Union and US blacklists. Jakarta plane crash: Flight Lion Air JT610 Two passengers on the plane's previous flight from Bali to Jakarta on Sunday have described issues that caused frustration and alarm. Alon Soetanto told TVOne the plane dropped suddenly several times in the first few minutes of its flight. "About three to eight minutes after it took off, I felt like the plane was losing power and unable to rise. That happened several times during the flight," he said. "We felt like in a roller coaster. Some passengers began to panic and vomit." His account is consistent with data from flight-tracking sites that show erratic speed, altitude and direction in the minutes after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet took off. A similar pattern is also seen in data pinged from Monday's fatal flight. Safety experts cautioned, however, that the data must be checked for accuracy against the plane's so-called black boxes, which officials are confident will be recovered. Lion Air's president Edward Sirait said there were reports of technical problems with the flight from Bali but said it had been resolved in accordance with the procedures released by the plane manufacturer. In a detailed post online, Indonesian TV presenter Conchita Caroline said boarding of Sunday's flight was delayed by more than an hour and when the plane was being towed, a technical problem forced it to return to its parking space. She said passengers sat in the cabin without air conditioning for at least 30 minutes listening to an "unusual" engine roar, while some children vomited from the overbearing heat, until staff faced with rising anger let them disembark. After about 30 minutes of passengers waiting on the tarmac, they were told to board again while an engine was checked. Caroline said she queried a staff member but was met with a defensive response. "He just showed me the flight permit that he had signed and he said the problem had been settled," she said. "He treated me like a passenger full of disturbing dramas even though what I was asking represented friends and confused tourists who didn't understand Indonesian." Women, who are relatives of passengers on the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, cry at Bhayangkara R. Said Sukanto hospital in Jakarta Credit: Reuters Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of a plane with experienced pilots in fine weather. "This is a very difficult time for our family," said Leo Sihombing, outside a crisis centre set up for family members at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport. "We know that it is very unlikely that my cousin is still alive, but no one can provide any certainty or explanation," he said as other family members wept and hugged each other. "What we hope now is rescuers can find his body, so we can bury him properly, and authorities can reveal what caused the plane crash," Sihombing said. Specialist ships and a remotely operated underwater vehicle have been deployed to search for the plane's hull and flight recorder. At a glance | Annual aviation deaths Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi has said he's certain it won't take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its flight recorders due to the relatively shallow 30 meter (115 foot) depth of the waters where it crashed. The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board. Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June. The U.S. lifted a decadelong ban in 2016. Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. Earlier this year it confirmed a deal to buy 50 new Boeing narrow-body aircraft worth an estimated $6.2 billion. It has been expanding aggressively in Southeast Asia, a fast-growing region of more than 600 million people.




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