North America

El Paso whitist terror death toll rises to 22

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-ANADOLU) -Two victims who were injured during a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, last weekend died early Monday while being treated at a local hospital, raising the death toll to 22.

The El Paso Police Department confirmed the increasing number of fatalities on Twitter. 

Federal prosecutors are handling that mass shooting, the first of two Saturday, as a case of domestic terrorism.

The suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, was taken into custody after 20 people were killed and 26 others were injured during the attack. 

US: Dow falls over 760 points amid trade war concerns

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-ANADOLU) -All three major stock indexes fell Monday with the Dow Jones industrial average shedding more than 760 points after China devalued its currency to a more than 10-year-low.

The Dow shaved as much as 961 points, or nearly 3%, before recovering to close at 767 down. The S&P 500 lost 87 points and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 278 points.  

US "closely following" Kashmir; urges stakeholders to maintain peace along LoC

Washington, Aug 6; GANASHAKTI: The US is "closely following" the events in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian government scrapped the constitutional provision that accorded special status to the state, a senior official has said while urging all stakeholders to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control (LoC).

Media watchdog in US urges India to restore internet, communications services in Kashmir

Washington, Aug 6; GANASHAKTI: A US-based media watchdog has urged India to ensure access to internet and communications services in Kashmir, which were suspended in the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

Kashmir remained on the edge as authorities stepped up security at vital installations and in sensitive areas, suspended mobile Internet services and either "arrested" or "detained" several leaders in fast-paced developments on Sunday night.

CPJ calls on India to ensure access to communications services in Indian occupied Kashmir

NEW YORK, Aug 06 (APP): The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent watchdog body, has expressed alarm at reports of a communication blackout and the arrest of a journalist in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir state amid an escalating political crisis.

On Monday, the Indian government announced the revocation of a constitutional provision granting limited autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, and introduced measures that would change Kashmir’s administrative status from a state to a union territory, essentially putting it under federal control.

US labels China a 'currency manipulator'

Washington, Aug 6 (PTI) The US has officially labeled China a currency manipulator, accusing it of using yuan to gain "unfair competitive advantage" in trade, a move that could further escalate the tense trade relations between the world's two largest economies.

Washington's move came as Beijing allowed its yuan to fall below the politically sensitive level of seven to the US dollar on Monday for the first time in 11 years and Chinese firms have reportedly stopped buying US farm produce.

Former Fed chiefs back bank's independence after Trump criticism

06 August 2019; AFP: Four former US Federal Reserve chairs published an essay on Monday advocating for the independence of the institution, which has been the target of recent criticism by President Donald Trump.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, the four living former Fed chiefs, Paul Volcker, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, defended the central bank and its current chair Jerome Powell from Trump's public criticism.

8chan goes dark after US mass shootings

06 August 2019; DW: Perpetrators of mass shootings in the US have used the website to disseminate white nationalist propaganda. A cybersecurity firm has withdrawn its services to 8chan, saying: "They have proven themselves to be lawless."

US cybersecurity firm Cloudflare on Monday said it would withdraw its services from the online forum 8chan after the main suspect in the deadly El Paso shooting posted a white nationalist manifesto on the controversial website.

R. Kelly accused of soliciting 17-year-old girl in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota prosecutor charged singer R. Kelly on Monday with prostitution and solicitation related to an allegation that he invited a 17-year-old girl to his hotel room in 2001 and paid her $200 to dance naked with him.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is accused of soliciting the girl after meeting her before a concert in Minneapolis.

US Treasury Department labels China a currency manipulator

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator Monday after Beijing pushed down the value of its yuan in a dramatic escalation of the trade conflict between the world’s two biggest economies.

The decision, which came hours after President Donald Trump accused China of unfairly devaluing its currency, marks a reversal for Treasury: In May, it had declined to sanction China for manipulating its currency.

The U.S. had not put China on the currency blacklist since 1994.

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