Saturday 31 August 2019

Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing - Business Insider

Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing  Business Insider

President Donald Trump's decision to tweet out a photo of an Iranian launch pad that he got from a classified intelligence briefing this week has astonished ...



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Woman dies in Death Valley as temps approach 120 degrees - Los Angeles Times

Arkansas police probe 911 dispatcher after caller drowns - ktlo.com

‘I don’t know why you’re freaking out,’ a 911 dispatcher told a woman minutes before she drowned - The Washington Post

‘I don’t know why you’re freaking out,’ a 911 dispatcher told a woman minutes before she drowned  The Washington Post

Time was running out for Debra Stevens. But the 911 dispatcher didn't seem concerned. “Somebody save me!” Stevens screamed as the water level crept up ...

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A 911 Operator Is Being Accused Of Being "Rude" And "Condescending" To A Drowning Victim Before She Died - BuzzFeed News

A 911 Operator Is Being Accused Of Being "Rude" And "Condescending" To A Drowning Victim Before She Died  BuzzFeed News

A community is outraged after an Arkansas police department released audio of a 911 operator telling a woman to "shut up" before she drowned in a flash flood.

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'They're On,' Trump Says of Tariffs Set to Kick In on Sunday - RealClearPolitics

Live storm satellite (Aug. 30): Tracking Hurricane Dorian as it heads toward Florida - Washington Post

Live storm satellite (Aug. 30): Tracking Hurricane Dorian as it heads toward Florida  Washington PostView full coverage on Google News

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2020 Vision: 'Gaffe machine' in high gear, Biden's campaign says it doesn't matter

2020 Vision: 'Gaffe machine' in high gear, Biden's campaign says it doesn't matterA new poll shows Trump trailing the top Democratic contenders in a hypothetical 2020 general election match-up. The next step for Democrats is a strong debate performance on Sept. 12. Also crucial is a campaign’s follow-through.




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Two NYPD detectives accused of raping teen in their custody won't get jail time

Two NYPD detectives accused of raping teen in their custody won't get jail timeEddie Martins, 39, and Richard Hall, 34, pleaded guilty Thursday to official misconduct and other charges stemming from the incident, which took place in 2017.




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Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report shows

Iran goes further in breaching nuclear deal, IAEA report showsIran has gone further in breaching its nuclear deal with world powers, increasing its stock of enriched uranium and refining it to a greater purity than allowed, the U.N. atomic agency report said on Friday. The quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is policing the 2015 deal, confirms Iran is progressively backing out of the deal in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal form the accord and renewal of sanctions that have hit Iranian oil sales. Iran has said it will breach the deal's limits on its nuclear activities one by one, ratcheting up pressure on parties who still hope to save it.




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What If Obama Endorses Warren?

What If Obama Endorses Warren?Barack Obama thinks about his brand and his legacy a lot, and he dreads what Joe Biden might do to it. This month alone, Biden mistook New Hampshire for Vermont even though the sole reason he was in that part of the country was the first-in-the-nation primary, which is famously not held in Vermont. He said RFK was assassinated in the 1970s. He said he couldn’t remember the name of the British prime minister in the midst of bragging about his foreign-policy chops. And he speculated about what it might have been like if Obama had been assassinated.This last, ghastly gaffe might be too much for Obama to take. Obama believes his brand is cool, technocratic, tightly controlled, a bit wonkish and professorial, inspirational, buttoned-down, Ivy League, definitely forward-looking. Biden is warm, free-wheeling, intellectually ungifted, frank and unguarded to the point of outright sloppiness, so old he served in the Senate alongside segregationist Democrats, and so out of touch he actually touts his friendship with these guys. Obama thought back in 2008 Biden was so old that he would never again run for president, his team strongly discouraged Biden from entering the race in the fall of 2015, and Biden’s jaw-dropping string of verbal blunders indicates a strong possibility of incipient cognitive decline.As Barack Obama surveys the Democratic contenders for 2020, he must be thinking: 1) None of these people has half my political skills but 2) Elizabeth Warren is my kind of gal. Warren is also cool, wonky, and professorial, also a Harvard product. Though she is 70, she looks younger and hasn’t displayed any signs of cognitive decline. Like Obama, she would be labeled a “historic” president. If she reached the Oval Office, he wouldn’t have to cringe every time she opened her mouth. He wouldn’t have to worry that her back-slapping tendencies would allow her to get rolled by Mitch McConnell. He trusts her so much that he let her guide one of his signature achievements, setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.One poll released in late August gave Warren a one-point lead over Biden. Two other polls released in the second half of August show her within three points of Biden. True, most others give him a double-digit lead, and some have her in third place, albeit narrowly, behind Bernie Sanders. Yet she’s close enough that Obama must be wondering if his endorsement could vault her into the lead position.What then? Like everyone else on earth, Obama notices that Biden looks like a much stronger candidate than Warren in a matchup against Trump. Warren might well be Hillary 2.0: She’s off-putting. She’s smug. She’s . . . a she. Polls show Democrats are extremely worried that the American people won’t accept  a woman president. The more she uses words like “My Daddy” and ostentatiously drinks beer, the less relatable she is. It’s hard to imagine the American people are thinking, “Yes, this is the voice I want to listen to every day for the next four years.”So there would be risk involved in backing Warren. But from Obama’s perspective, there’s also risk involved in Biden’s becoming president and embarrassing him every day. Maybe even, in his dotage, Biden might let what’s left of the Obama legacy slip away. If Obama thinks like most Democrats, he probably believes that nonsensical hullabaloo about email servers, not Hillary Clinton’s deficiencies as a candidate or sexism, was what cost her the presidency.Obama proved to be a failure at almost everything except getting Obama elected to office, but he is not a man notable for a modest view of his own skills. He must be thinking his star power could restore black turnout to levels approaching where it was when he was on the ballot. He must be thinking that with a push from him, and a little help from his turnout wizards, Elizabeth Warren could avoid Hillary Clinton’s errors and enter the White House.If Obama were to endorse Warren, the 2020 Democratic primaries would be upended, and Obama would be praised for lighting a path to a genuinely progressive presidency. And if Biden won the nomination anyway, no biggie: Obama could simply campaign for him in the general election and settle for a less-than-ideal Democratic presidency. I’m guessing Obama comes out strong for Warren.




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Hurricane Dorian path update shows storm track could turn, potentially impact Carolinas

Hurricane Dorian path update shows storm track could turn, potentially impact CarolinasHurricane Dorian has gained fearsome new muscle as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm. Latest models show Dorian turning before landfall in Florida meaning possible impact near the NC coast later this week.




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President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on Sunday

President says decision on whether to order evacuations in Florida will be made on SundayDonald Trump has said the decision on whether to evacuate residents of Florida to protect them from Hurricane Dorian, would be made on Sunday after meeting with officials.As he left the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, he said members of the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) would be joining him to monitor events.




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Utah man found guilty of running massive opioid ring

Utah man found guilty of running massive opioid ringA Utah man was convicted Friday of running a multimillion-dollar opioid ring that sent hundreds of thousands of potentially deadly pills across the country in a scheme that authorities said helped fuel the nation's opioid epidemic. A jury reached the verdict after deliberating less than a day in the case against Aaron Shamo. "He's 29 and his life is over," defense attorney Greg Skordas said after the verdict was read.




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China appears to have blocked Hong Kong's attempt to make peace with its protest movement by scrapping its incendiary extradition bill

China appears to have blocked Hong Kong's attempt to make peace with its protest movement by scrapping its incendiary extradition billHong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam reportedly told Beijing that giving in to protester's five demands may ease tensions. China outright refused.




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Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing - Business Insider

Intel veterans react to Trump tweet of Iran launch pad photo from briefing  Business Insider

President Donald Trump's decision to tweet out a photo of an Iranian launch pad that he got from a classified intelligence briefing this week has astonished ...



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Until Recently, Websites Were Hacking iPhones - Newser

Latest Report Suggests Melvin Gordon Could Be Back Soon...But With a Different Team (TWEET) - Total Pro Sports

Trump's tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports hit at midnight - CNBC

Trump's tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports hit at midnight  CNBC

Barring an agreement or a tweet, it will soon be 15% more expensive for U.S. companies to import everything from milk to diapers to sports equipment from ...

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Friday 30 August 2019

R. Kelly asks judge to be released from solitary in federal lockup in Chicago - CBS News

Federer powers into US Open last 16 - Sport24

'Don't know why you're freaking out': Arkansas woman drowns on phone with 911 - WILX-TV

'Don't know why you're freaking out': Arkansas woman drowns on phone with 911  WILX-TV

By the time first responders reached the 47-year-old woman, she had died.

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Union from Biden campaign’s backyard ticked off at primary front-runner - Fox News

Union from Biden campaign’s backyard ticked off at primary front-runner  Fox News

The head of the Philadelphia chapter of the AFL-CIO is not happy that former Vice President Joe Biden hasn't committed to attending a "Workers Presidential ...

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Fentanyl drug bust: Investigators seize enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people - CBS News

Fentanyl drug bust: Investigators seize enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people  CBS News

Law enforcement officers in Virginia have seized enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people, busting a massive three-state drug ring as part of what they called ...

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Brazil officials, Bolsonaro's son meet with Trump to discuss Amazon fires

Brazil's foreign minister and President Jair Bolsonaro's son met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday to discuss the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest, although no concrete measures to deal with the blazes were announced.


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U.S. and China will meet in September, Trump says, but tariff hikes remain

Trade teams from China and the United States continue to talk and will meet in September, but tariff increases on Chinese goods set to go in place on Sunday will not be delayed, President Donald Trump said on Friday.


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Actress Valerie Harper of 'Mary Tyler Moore show,' dies at 80: New York Times

Actress Valerie Harper, who won four Emmy awards playing a budding feminist who battled her insecurities with humor and sarcasm on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and her own sitcom, died on Friday, the New York Times reported. She was 80.


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Thursday 29 August 2019

Roman Polanski attacks 'absurd' abuse accusations on eve of Venice premiere - The Guardian

All 53 NBA players on 2019 FIBA World Cup rosters, ranked - SB Nation

Hong Kong Police Ban Mass Weekend Protest March, Citing Safety

Hong Kong Police Ban Mass Weekend Protest March, Citing Safety(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police said they banned a Saturday protest by the organizer of previous historic mass marches, citing public safety concerns, a move that could anger demonstrators ahead of a planned 13th straight weekend of pro-democracy rallies.Police said approving the Civil Human Rights Front’s march was too risky as some people might use it to “carry out large scale destruction and disrupt public order,” Kwok Pak-chung, the force’s regional commander for Hong Kong Island, said at a Thursday briefing. The South China Morning Post first reported the ban.“Based on our intelligence, we believe certain protesters will commit acts of violence during the gathering,” Kwok said. “There’s a high chance that certain violent protesters will hijack this event.” He added that officials “have made a decision that we didn’t like to make.”Bonnie Leung, CHRF’s vice-convener, told Bloomberg News earlier in the day that the group was planning to appeal. Some previous rallies have been approved at the last minute after negotiations with police.The ban could trigger further outcry as the rally was planned for the fifth anniversary of China’s introduction of an electoral reform package that would have restricted democratic freedoms and was later rejected by Hong Kong. It could also fuel turnout at a two-day general strike called to begin Monday if the government doesn’t concede to protesters’ major demands by Saturday, the SCMP said.Timeline: How Months of Protests Have Unfolded in Hong KongThe march had been planned to start at centrally located Chater Garden and continue on to China’s liaison office in the city, where Hong Kong’s police and Beijing have drawn their sharpest line after a previous demonstration saw protesters deface the national emblem. Hong Kong’s former leader Leung Chun-ying is promoting a website offering crowd-funded cash bounties to identify protesters who have perpetrated vandalism, including HK$1 million ($127,000) for the person who splashed black paint on the emblem.The CHRF has organized three record-breaking peaceful marches over weeks of protests, including the June 9 rally against legislation easing extraditions to China that sparked what’s morphed into a broader movement against Beijing’s tightening grip over the city. The group said each march brought more than 1 million people onto the streets, while police estimates are lower, in the hundreds of thousands.Its latest march would come after a weekend that began with the formation of a peaceful human chain across the city and culminated two days later with police firing a weapon and using water cannons for the first time. Police said 86 people were arrested over the weekend for alleged offenses including unlawful assembly, possession of weapons and assaulting officers.CHRF convener Jimmy Sham said separately Thursday that he had been attacked by two armed masked men inside a restaurant in the city’s Kowloon, but that he hadn’t been hurt because his friend shielded him. Sham said he would head to the police station in Tsim Sha Tsui to give a statement.(Updates throughout with police confirmation.)To contact the reporters on this story: Sheryl Tian Tong Lee in Hong Kong at slee1905@bloomberg.net;Fion Li in Hong Kong at fli59@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Jon HerskovitzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.




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Disaster feared if 'ticking time bomb' Yemen tanker explodes

Disaster feared if 'ticking time bomb' Yemen tanker explodesAn abandoned oil tanker anchored off war-torn Yemen that is degrading along with its cargo could explode and cause an environmental disaster, experts said Wednesday as UN inspectors prepared to visit. The ship "Safer", used as a floating storage platform, is laden with some 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded with no maintenance since early 2015, leaving it to deteriorate and potentially allowing explosive gases to build up. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that a technical assessment team was waiting in nearby Djibouti preparing to board the Safer for a first-hand evaluation.




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Serial rape suspect arrested by Georgia police more than a year after they hired him

Serial rape suspect arrested by Georgia police more than a year after they hired himGeorgia police have been searching for a serial rapist since 2015. They arrested a man Tuesday who was hired as a police recruit more than a year ago.




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U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed record

U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed recordRace car driver Jessi Combs, host of the television series "All Girls Garage," was killed in a high-speed crash while trying to set a new land-speed record, her family said on Wednesday. Combs, 39, was attempting to become the fastest woman on Earth when she was killed while racing on Tuesday on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in southeastern Oregon, the family said in a statement.




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North Carolina student arrested with guns in his dorm room was planning shooting spree, police say

North Carolina student arrested with guns in his dorm room was planning shooting spree, police sayA 19-year-old freshman arrested in his dorm room at a North Carolina university with two firearms was planning a shooting spree, police say.




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MSNBC's O'Donnell retracts Trump story

MSNBC's O'Donnell retracts Trump storyMSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell on Wednesday retracted his story about supposed Russian ties to President Donald Trump's finances and apologized for reporting it — just as Trump's lawyer demanded. O'Donnell reported the story, based on a single source he did not identify, even as he couched it with the qualifier "if true" and admitted it had not been verified by NBC News. Trump's lawyer, Charles Harder, had written to NBC Wednesday afternoon, saying the story was false and defamatory and threatening legal action if it wasn't disowned.




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Hurricane Dorian set to pummel Florida after cutting power on Caribbean islands

Hurricane Dorian set to pummel Florida after cutting power on Caribbean islandsHurricane Dorian is gaining strength at it approaches Florida, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous storm before it hits the east coast state.The hurricane has moved out into open waters after hitting Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, where it caused power cuts and flooding in places.




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Student who studied mass shooting videos had planned attack by Christmas, police say - The Washington Post

UAE carries out air strikes against Yemen government forces to... - Reuters

Apple just sent out invites for its big iPhone announcement next month - Business Insider

Brad Pitt Shows You How To Pair A Motorcycle Watch To A 55-Year-Old Dad Bod - D'Marge

How Rob Gronkowski, Andrew Luck have impacted the NFL - WEEI

Ten U.S. Democratic 2020 candidates to debate on one night - Reuters

Were Bones of Children Found on Jeffrey Epstein's Island? - Snopes.com

Satellite images suggest Iranian rocket blew up on launch pad - Fox News

Prince Andrew needs to 'comes clean about it' says Epstein accuser - Guardian News

Hurricane Dorian wreaks havoc on Labor Day travel - ABC News

Wednesday 28 August 2019

Police: Bernard charged with three counts of first degree murder - Chatham Star-Tribune

Veteran carries Marine amputee up mountain - CNN

Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas Steal a Lot of Money and Have a Lot of Fun in 'The Laundromat' Trailer (Video) - TheWrap

Roger Federer Finishes Strong Against Damir Dzumhur At US Open - ATP Tour

2020 prospect Javier Morton decommits from Alabama - TideSports.com

Trump administration tightens citizenship rules for children of U.S. military abroad

Children born to U.S. citizens stationed abroad as government employees or members of the U.S. military will no longer qualify for automatic American citizenship under a policy change unveiled on Wednesday by the Trump administration.


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As maritime rows resurface, Duterte readies to raise ruling with China

When Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte visits China this week, he'll need to salvage something from a "pivot" to Beijing that has left him empty-handed, and exposed his neighbors to a new level of brinkmanship in the South China Sea.


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FBI studies two broken cameras outside cell where Epstein died: source - Reuters

The First Wizards Unite Global Challenge and Dragon Day Details Revealed! - Wizards Unite Hub

The First Wizards Unite Global Challenge and Dragon Day Details Revealed!  Wizards Unite Hub

When dragons were originally announced in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, I immediately experienced a gut-wrenching sensation that wasn't unlike Harry's own ...

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Venice Film Festival’s ‘Corpus Christi’ Debuts Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety

Venice Film Festival’s ‘Corpus Christi’ Debuts Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)  Variety

Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Jan Komasa's "Corpus Christi," which has its world premiere at Venice.

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Trump immigration policy appears to violate U.S. law, officials warn - Los Angeles Times

Trump immigration policy appears to violate U.S. law, officials warn  Los Angeles Times

The L.A. Times finds the Trump administration appears to be violating U.S. law in implementing the Remain in Mexico policy, officials and lawyers warn.

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Reaction is swift after triple murder arrest in Pittsylvania County - WHSV

Who Is Moon Knight? A Guide to Marvel's Disney+ Hero - Hollywood Reporter

US approves $3.3bn sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan

US approves $3.3bn sale of anti-ballistic missiles to JapanWashington approved the $3.3 billion sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan Tuesday, following close behind a series of new ballistic missile tests by North Korea that could threaten the US ally. Japan will buy up to 73 of the Raytheon-made SM-3 Block IIA missiles, which are designed to be fired by the ship-board Aegis system to intercept incoming ballistic missiles, the Pentagon said. The sale came as North Korea is expanding its offensive missile capabilities, having proven over the past two years the ability to launch medium- and long-range ballistic missiles, potentially nuclear-tipped, that could hit both Japan and the United States.




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Trump said his Florida resort where he wants to host the next G7 has 'no bed bugs.' The resort settled a lawsuit over bed bugs there in 2017

Trump said his Florida resort where he wants to host the next G7 has 'no bed bugs.' The resort settled a lawsuit over bed bugs there in 2017Trump said his Florida resort doesn't have bed bugs. In 2017, the Doral resort reached a settlement with a guest who was allegedly bitten by the bugs.




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Israel's shadow war with Iran bursts into the open

Israel's shadow war with Iran bursts into the openThe long shadow war between Israel and Iran has burst into the open in recent days, with Israel allegedly striking Iran-linked targets as far away as Iraq and crash-landing two drones in Hezbollah-dominated southern Beirut. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to project strength three weeks before national elections, while Iran has taken a series of provocative actions in recent months aimed at pressuring European nations to provide relief from crippling U.S. sanctions. Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, vowed to retaliate after a drone crashed on the militant group's Beirut media office and another exploded midair early Sunday.




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Russia discovers five islands as climate change melts Arctic ice

Russia discovers five islands as climate change melts Arctic iceA Russian naval expedition has discovered five Arctic islands as climate change melts glaciers and reveals landforms previously hidden under ice. Ranging in size from 900 to 54,500 square metres, the five tiny islands are located in the cove of Vize off the northeastern shore of Novaya Zemlya, which divides the Barents and Kara seas in the Arctic ocean, a defence ministry statement said. Rather than planting the proverbial flag in the sand, members of the expedition built a cairn on one of the islands containing a note about their discovery, a compact disc with their photographs and a pennant commemorating the 100th anniversary of the northern fleet's hydrographic service.  Then-student Marina Migunova first spotted the islands in 2016 while analysing satellite imagery for her final coursework at a naval university. But new geographic points are added to maps and other navigational documents only after specialists visit them and perform a topographic survey, the defence ministry said. The islands were previously concealed under the Nansen glacier, also known as the Vylka, which is part of Europe's largest ice cap covering much of Novaya Zemlya's northern island. Location of newly discovered Russian islands The retreat of Arctic ice amid rising air and ocean temperatures has been unveiling unknown landforms. In 2015-18, the hydrographic service observed more than 30 islands, capes and bays near Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land for the first time through satellite monitoring. More are expected to be found.  A US study last year concluded that the ice loss by glaciers on Franz Josef Land had doubled between 2011 and 2015. Melting ice has increasingly stranded polar bears on land, contributing to incidents like the “polar bear invasion” of a military town on Novaya Zemlya this year. Coastal erosion is also speeding up as permafrost soil thaws and summertime wave action increases.  President Vladimir Putin said at an Arctic conference in April that Russian data showed the region was warming not two but four times faster than the rest of the world.  In response, his country has been expanding its presence in the Arctic, opening military bases and building nuclear icebreakers to promote shipping along the northern sea route.  Last week, Russia's new floating nuclear power plant began a voyage across the Arctic Ocean to provide heat and electricity to a gold-mining town in the remote Chukotka region. Russia's floating nuclear power plant, the Academic Lomonosov, stands in port during a visit by The Telegraph last month Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph State concern Rosatom hopes to export this technology to other countries despite the safety concerns of activists, who have dubbed the plant “Chernobyl on ice”.  A top-secret nuclear submarine caught fire in the Arctic Ocean in July, killing 14, and this month a blast at a missile testing site killed at least five and caused a radiation spike in the northern Arkhangelsk region. The defence ministry said a “liquid-fuelled reaction engine” had exploded, but foreign experts have said the fallout suggested that a nuclear reactor had blown up. Following the routes of early explorers, the expedition to Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land is also collecting data for scientific research, raising Russian flags over historic sites and visiting Soviet military infrastructure, including a meteorological station destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in 1943. Much of the archipelago was mapped by Florence Nightingale's cousin Benjamin Leigh Smith, whose shipwreck in Franz Josef Land was reached by divers last year.




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