Shohei Ohtani returns to 2-way role with Angels this season

Shohei Ohtani will resume his two-way career with the Los Angeles Angels when baseball returns.

NY Times columnist Paul Krugman slammed for saying coronavirus is 'coming for white supremacists driving golf carts'

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman was slammed on social media over a tweet mocking senior citizens in Florida that are vulnerable to the coronavirus. 

Baseball's minor leagues cancel 2020 seasons

Baseball's minor leagues canceled their seasons Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the head of their governing body said more than half of the 160 teams were in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections.

Florida doctors aren't asking coronavirus patients if they took part in protests, health official says

A senior health official with the Orange County, Florida Department of Health says that asking about activity during the recent George Floyd protests that swept the nation, has not been a part of the coronavirus contract tracing questions in Florida.

Sia reveals she's a grandmother, wants her grandkids to call her this

Sia has some big news.

Positive tests force Nuggets to close practice facilities

The Denver Nuggets say they’ve closed their facilities after two members of the team’s traveling party tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend. A third tested positive this week.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith doesn't think NBA players can go months without sex

Stephen A. Smith argued on “First Take” Tuesday that NBA players might not be able to last three weeks – let alone three months – without being able to have sex.

With Iran arms embargo set to expire in October, US calls for indefinite extension, but finds few takers at UN

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Tuesday for an arms embargo on Iran to be extended indefinitely, but his appeal fell flat at the United Nations, where Russia and China rejected it outright and close allies of the United States were ambivalent.

The embargo, which is set to expire on 18 October, stems from the 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and Iran has exceeded the accord’s limits on uranium enrichment since then, part of a steady escalation of tensions that have at times pushed the two countries dangerously close to war.

The American bid is all but certain to fail in the UN Security Council; it might not even collect enough support to be put to a vote, diplomats said. The Trump administration has threatened that if the embargo is not extended, the United States will try to invoke a “snapback” provision of the 2015 deal to reimpose former UN sanctions on Iran — a move other nations said would be unwise and legally invalid.

Representatives of Britain, France and Germany voiced unease at both the expiration of the embargo and the US approach, particularly the snapback, which they flatly opposed.

The European powers said they hoped to find some way to limit Iranian access to arms through a compromise negotiated in the framework of the 2015 agreement, not an action imposed by the Security Council.

The arms embargo applies to Iran importing or exporting most kinds of weapons, including aircraft and tanks. Some limits on missile and nuclear technology will remain in place for a few more years.

The resistance to Pompeo’s call — coming not only from only rivals like China and Russia, but also from key allies — illustrates the growing isolation and declining influence of the United States, analysts said, even in dealing with an Iran that members see as a rogue nation destabilising the region.

UN officials presented findings that the missiles used in an attack last September on crucial Saudi Arabian oil facilities were made in Iran, as were weapons bound for Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen that were seized by the US Navy. The findings supported the conclusions of Western intelligence agencies.

“Iran is already violating the arms embargo, even before its expiration date,” Pompeo said in the Security Council meeting, which was held by video link. “Imagine if Iranian activity were sanctioned, authorised by this group, if the restrictions are lifted.”

“Iran will be free to become a rogue weapons dealer, supplying arms to fuel conflicts from Venezuela, to Syria, to the far reaches of Afghanistan,” he added.

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, dismissed claims of Iranian aggression based on what he called “self-serving allegations and forged documents,” adding that it was the United States that “has directly undermined global peace and security.”

Zarif began and ended his remarks by quoting Mohammad Mossadegh, the Iranian prime minister overthrown in a CIA-orchestrated coup in 1953 — a nod to a long history of American intervention.

The meeting on Tuesday marked the first time since 2017 that Pompeo and Zarif had taken part in the same forum, if only virtually, but they did not appear together in the grid view of diplomats shown on the UN website. Pompeo left the meeting before Zarif joined.

Since leaving the nuclear deal, Trump has tried to cut off Iran from doing business with the rest of the world, threatening economic penalties for countries and companies that do not go along. Though most of the world opposes the US stance, much of it has complied.

Noting that the 2015 agreement had been adopted by the Security Council, Zarif said, “for the first time in Security Council history, a permanent member is punishing member States for not violating a Security Council resolution.”

Security Council members and UN officials chastised both Iran and the United States, urging them to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, often referred to as JCPoA.

Some pinned the current crisis on Trump, saying that he had started a long series of provocations and retaliations by withdrawing from the agreement and imposing punishing economic sanctions.

“China opposes the US push for extending the arms embargo on Iran,” said Zhang Jun, the ambassador from China — which, like Russia, France, Britain and the United States, has veto power in the council. China, Russia, Germany, Britain, France and the European Union are signatories to the 2015 agreement.

“Having quit the JCPoA, the US is no longer a participant and has no right to trigger a snapback at the UN,” Zhang said.

The German representative, Christoph Heusgen, said he deplored Iran’s aggressions in the region and its human rights record at home, but he also endorsed the view that Washington had no standing to invoke UN sanctions.

“It is very unfortunate that the United States left the JCPoA, and by doing this actually violated international law,” he said.

Henry Rome, senior Iran analyst for Eurasia Group, said the meeting was “another vivid illustration of Washington’s isolation on the Iran issue — as well as its failure over the past three years to persuade any other signatory of the deal to back its approach.”

In the meeting, Rosemary A DiCarlo, the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, detailed evidence that arms and weapons parts involved in the US Navy seizure and the oil field attacks were Iranian-made. She added that Iran has begun to violate the nuclear agreement in surpassing limits to its uranium enrichment, a potential step toward being able to produce a nuclear weapon.

But DiCarlo, a US citizen, cited “divergent views” on whether Iranian rockets, launched in February and April, could carry a nuclear warhead, as the United States has claimed.

Richard Pérez-Peña, Lara Jakes and Farnaz Fassihi c.2020 The New York Times Company

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/2Vwoswo

59 चाइनीज़ ऐप का पत्ता साफ, आपके बहुत काम आएंगी ये ‘Made in India’ ऐप्स

हम आपको बता दें कि ऐसी ही कई मेड इन इंडिया (made in india apps) ऐप्स भी मौजूद है, जिसे इस्तेमाल करके आपको इन चीनी ऐप्स की ज़रूरत महसूस नहीं होगी...

from Latest News मोबाइल-टेक News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/38kmZP1

Europe, bid au revoir to American tourists

The Canadians will be in Europe this summer, and the Thais and the Moroccans. You might bump into a Rwandan, and no doubt Aussie backpackers will give it a go. If Beijing reciprocates on border openings, Chinese travelers could be on their way, too.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/2Bj5DpU

An internal Amazon memo shows how closely it's tracking coronavirus data at warehouses

For months, Amazon has refused to reveal data on the number of coronavirus cases inside its warehouses by claiming the data itself "isn't particularly useful," frustrating workers and critics hoping for a clearer picture of infections within what have become critical hubs for home supplies.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/31v5IBg

The politics of wearing a mask hits Alabama's US Senate race as Doug Jones releases ad urging face covering

Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama is running a new television ad commending people in his state for following the advice of medical professionals and wearing masks, as top Republicans pressure President Donald Trump to encourage Americans to wear them to limit the spread of coronavirus.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/38eNzsZ

Clyburn knocks activists targeting wrong statues: 'No one was more anti-slavery than Ulysses S. Grant'

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., told "The Story" Tuesday that activists calling for the removal of statues across the country have gone a step too far by targeting depictions of George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant.

Adidas HR head resigns as company addresses diversity issues

The head of global human resources at sports apparel and shoe company Adidas resigned Tuesday following criticism from employees of what they see as the company's failure to diversify its workforce.

Texas bar owners sue Gov. Abbott over coronavirus restrictions: 'It's discrimination'

The Texas Bar and Nightclub Association (TBNA) announced Tuesday that it's suing the state over Gov. Greg Abbott's coronavirus restrictions that were implemented just days ago, following a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

Black Lives Matter mural in Cleveland vandalized by black conservative, councilman says

A Black Lives Matter mural in a Cleveland neighborhood meant to honor the movement and those killed by law enforcement was defaced Monday with the messages that read “stop killing each other” and “Black Lives Matter is Marxist.”

Adam Silver considers the possibility of players kneeling during national anthem when NBA resumes

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the possibility of players kneeling for the national anthem, as well as the restart of the season in an interview with “TIME 100 Talks” on Tuesday.

Maroon 5 bassist Mickey Madden arrested for alleged domestic violence in Los Angeles

Mickey Madden, a bassist for the multi-platinum selling band Maroon 5, was arrested Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, Calif., after an alleged incident involving domestic violence, Fox News has confirmed.

'MythBusters' star Adam Savage accused of allegedly sexually abusing sister as a child: lawsuit

Former “MythBusters” co-host Adam Savage has been accused of sexually abusing his younger sister in a new lawsuit. 

Mark Wahlberg reveals results of allergy test: I’m 'almost allergic to everything'

Mark Wahlberg might have saved himself from uncertain death or at the very least, an allergic reaction to a foreign substance.

Rep. Kinzinger explains why question of Trump being briefed on Russia bounty intel is 'irrelevant'

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., told Fox News Radio Tuesday that it is unlikely President Trump was briefed on intelligence that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan due to the information's unverified nature.

Trump calls Supreme Court ruling a 'historic win for families who want school choice'

Earlier this month, Trump called school choice the civil rights issue “all-time in this country.”

2020 primaries: 4 things to watch in Tuesday's contests in Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma

Last week's down-ballot primary action in New York still isn't settled, but it's time for three more states -- Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma -- to host primaries Tuesday, and there's at least one contest in each state that could help shape the balance of power in Congress next year.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/2ZkxAWh

Major explosion at missile facility in Iran gives rise to variety of conspiracy theories all over Tehran

When a major explosion lit the skies on the edge of Tehran last week, the Iranian government was quick to dismiss the episode as a gas explosion at the Parchin military base, which was once the focus of international nuclear inspectors.

It turned out that was false: Satellite photographs show the explosion happened at a missile production facility not far from Parchin, a base laced with underground tunnels and long suspected to be a major site for Iran’s growing arsenal.

But beyond Tehran’s effort at misdirection — commercial satellite photographs showed the telltale burn marks of the explosion and the location — it is unclear whether the cause was an accident, sabotage or something else.

US and Israeli intelligence officials insist they had nothing to do with it.

But in Iran, where curating conspiracy theories is a national pastime, the sight of a huge explosion in eastern Tehran quickly merged on social media with news of a power outage in Shiraz, nearly 600 miles to the south. Shiraz also has major military facilities, and the explosion and the outage happened within the same hour on Friday.

There is no evidence the incidents were related.

Nuclear inspectors visited the Parchin military facility five years ago after years of standoffs with Iranian authorities. Renovations at the facility had been so extensive that it led to suspicions that the government might have been trying to hide past work on nuclear detonation technologies.

After the episode last week, Iranian news organisations were shown a small hole in an otherwise intact gas tank, which seemed an improbable explanation for an explosion so large that pictures of the flames, taken miles from the site, showed up on Twitter.

By the end of the weekend, overhead commercial photographs showed a scorched hillside at the Khojir missile production complex in eastern Tehran, where both liquid and solid propellants are made for Iran’s missile fleets.

“It seems likely that some sort of gas or liquid storage tank blew up,” said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran’s military at the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. “Probably industrial gas that’s needed for missile production,” he said, but it was unclear from the photos. The main buildings at the missile production centre appeared undamaged.

Iran’s missile programme has long been a target of Israeli intelligence agencies. A large explosion in 2011, which killed a key architect of Iran’s missile programme, is widely viewed as an act of sabotage.

But this explosion may have been different. Two Israeli intelligence services that operate outside Israel’s borders, the Mossad and the Israel Defence Forces intelligence unit, said they were investigating the episode and had not yet reached a final conclusion on whether it was an accident or sabotage. But several officials insisted that Israel was not involved.

US officials also said they doubted it was a sabotage operation. Usually, Israel and the United States act in coordination in such covert missions, as they did with the cyberattack on Iran’s nuclear centrifuge facility at Natanz a decade ago.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on whether Israel was involved in the explosion, a standard response to such questions. A spokesperson for the IDF also declined to comment.

Ronen Solomon of IntelliTimes, an intelligence blog, who was among the first to identify the Khojir missile facility as the site of the explosion, noted that it did “little damage.” But he noted it was “a vast facility,” and as part of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, it has been the target of US economic sanctions.

If the explosion was an act of sabotage, some analysts noted, it was carefully designed to not invite retaliation because damage was so minimal. But in the past, there have been small attacks designed to create fear among Iranians that foreign powers had insiders in the country’s sensitive military programmes.

Iran’s news media tried to counter reports about the missile site, saying those were generated by “enemy media” eager to portray Iran’s missile bases as vulnerable to attack.

David E Sanger, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi c.2020 The New York Times Company

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/2Bfx8ka

6 कैमरे और दमदार बैटरी वाले Realme X3 की आज है पहली सेल, खरीद पर पाएं ये ऑफर्स

इस फोन की सबसे खास बात इसके 4 रियर कैमरे और दो सेल्फी कैमरे है...आज इस फोन की पहली सेल रखी गई है.

from Latest News मोबाइल-टेक News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/2Zmv29Z

China to impose tit-for-tat visa restrictions on US officials over Hong Kong

China will impose visa restrictions on certain United States individuals in response to Washington's move last week to place similar limits on Chinese officials over Hong Kong.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/3eJvSnM

Summer violence could overwhelm coronavirus precautions in Chicago's biggest jail

Inside America's jails and prisons there's a delicate balance at play, weighing the usual demands of a typically crowded inmate population against the potent reality of an ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These precautions have mostly come in the form of single celling detainees, quarantining individuals who are either sick or symptomatic, reducing the overall population by releasing nonviolent low-level offenders and more.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/3eLbjHC

How John Roberts left the door open to more state limits on abortion

Chief Justice John Roberts provided on Monday the decisive vote to preserve access to abortion in Louisiana, a ringing victory for the clinics and doctors who spent years fighting a law they claimed would effectively ban the procedure in the state.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/2CWLpCR

A Dreamer hero whose life story tells us a lot

Sen. Dick Durbin writes about Dr. Manuel Bernal, a DACA recipient on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic and says that Dreamers like Manuel have lived in immigration purgatory due to Congressional inability to summon the courage to solve this problem.

from CNN.com - RSS Channel https://ift.tt/2YO3onv