| Expert: Arkansas may have reliable source of execution drug Posted: 18 Aug 2017 02:03 PM PDT  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A death penalty expert says Arkansas' recent purchase of a lethal injection drug — in a small amount and at a cheap price — suggests the state has found a reliable supplier to help it move 30 inmates from death row to the execution chamber.
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| At least 80 dead after escalation in Philippines war on drugs Posted: 17 Aug 2017 10:53 PM PDT  Earlier this week, 67 people were gunned down and more than 200 arrested in Manila and provinces adjoining the Philippines capital, in what police described as a "One-Time, Big-Time" push to curb drugs and street crimes. The term has been used by Philippines police to describe a coordinated anti-crime drive in crime-prone districts, usually slums or low-income neighborhoods, often with additional police deployed. The spike in killings drew condemnation from Vice President Leni Robredo, who belongs to a party opposed to Duterte.
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| Commander dismissed after US Navy ship crashed off Japan Posted: 17 Aug 2017 10:18 PM PDT  The commander of a US Navy ship that collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan, killing seven American seamen, will be relieved of duty and several other sailors face punishment, a senior admiral said Thursday. Among those being disciplined from the crew of the USS Fitzgerald are its commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor, who will all be relieved of their duties aboard the ship, said Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of naval operations. Seven sailors drowned in their sleeping berth when the USS Fitzgerald collided with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal in a busy shipping channel off Japan's coast early on June 17.
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| 10,000 impounded bikes look like abstract art Posted: 17 Aug 2017 09:24 PM PDT  It may look like a painting, but this is actually what 10,000 bicycles being dumped into one space looks like. Tens of thousands of shared bikes have been impounded by authorities, and left at a playground in the Chinese city of Hefei. SEE ALSO: People stole nearly all of the bikes belonging to a shared-bike startup, so it had to close down It's simply the latest chapter in the recent shared bike phenomenon, which has seen a surge of bikes scattered around cities from service providers which hope users will hop on one of theirs. In many of these cities, the bikes tread the line between public and private good, in a way — some cities see them as littering the sidewalk, and impound them, while others have agreed to let the bikes be, in hopes of encouraging green transportation. According to a report by Chinese state media Global Times, the playground was originally owned by a school that had later vacated the premises. Image: Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesThe empty grounds later became the de facto dumping ground for authorities, who had seized discarded bikes from the main roads and had nowhere else to put them. Bikes which were found violating parking rules were also detained and dumped into these grounds. According to the Global Times, there are at least 10,000 bikes dumped in this bicycle graveyard. Image: Barcroft Media via Getty Images Image: Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesPeople online found it pretty ironic that the shared bikes were causing so much damage. "Shared bikes are supposed to promote sharing and save the environment, but then it's caused this instead," said one user on Weibo. "This is a waste of resources," said another. "No wonder I can't find any shared bikes in Hefei," one quipped. According to the Global Times, Hefei's City Urban Management Bureau will begin returning the bikes to the respective companies. WATCH: The ultimate hipster bike has arrived, packing a flexible frame that lets you drift
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| Did outing Charlottesville's white supremacists just make them more committed? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 08:32 PM PDT  The "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday morning in Charlottesville, Virginia, was the first time 27-year-old Nigel Krofta attended a white nationalist event. He's been active in the movement online, but last weekend he stepped out from behind his keyboard and stood clutching a billy club alongside the neo-Nazis, white nationalists, Klansmen, and other so-called alt-right marchers. That day, Krofta met James Alex Fields Jr., who allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters just a few hours later, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. After the bloodshed, a photo of the two men, published by the New York Times, found its way to Twitter, where Krofta was identified by name—along with his hometown and the contact information for his employer. He was labeled an "area Nazi" by a journalist in Charleston, South Carolina, not far from Krofta's home in Ridgeville. SEE ALSO: How you can take action against white supremacy after Charlottesville On Monday, Krofta said he started to receive threats. He was also promptly fired from his job as a welder. "My employer was being called with threats on their business and persons and they responded by discharging me," the now-former metalworker told Mashable. "My actions and beliefs are mine and I do not want anyone to be hurt or harmed for being associated with me." I talked to the Ridgeville man, also a white supremacist, shown next to accused murderer James Fields at rally. https://t.co/YKv5zUWscY — Michael Majchrowicz (@mjmajchrowicz) August 14, 2017 For online activists seeking to identify the marchers at Saturday's rally, this seems like mission accomplished: A participant faced real-world consequences, outside the confines of the white nationalist movement, where having Nazi sympathies makes you a pariah. But, while activists hope the threat of shame (and unemployment) will deter racists from joining future marches, their actions could have unintended consequences: pushing neo-Nazis out of the shadows could just force them to double down.Krofta is one of multiple marchers outed by online activists: In California, Cole White reportedly resigned from his job at a hotdog restaurant after his bosses caught wind of his involvement in Charlottesville over the weekend. In Nevada, 20-year-old University of Nevada at Reno student Peter Cvjetanovic got so much publicity he went on a local news program to explain that he is "not the angry racist they see in that photo." The photo to which he's referring shows Cvjetanovic—and his Hitler-esque hairstyle—carrying a torch and screeching alongside other white nationalists the night before Saturday's deadly rally. In Fargo, North Dakota, the shame of seeing his son marching with known bigots prompted a father to pen a lengthy op-ed for a local newspaper essentially disowning his racist son. "I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son's vile, hateful and racist rhetoric and actions," he wrote. UPDATE: Cole White, the first person I exposed, no longer has a job ♂️ #GoodNightColeWhite #ExposeTheAltRight #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/sqxSXboKw6 — Yes, You're Racist (@YesYoureRacist) August 13, 2017 The outing of racists has been met with fanfare. The Twitter page @YesYoureARacist, dedicated to shining a light on bigoted behavior, had 60,000 followers on Saturday morning—now, it has 400,000. Identifying racists has been the goal of civil rights organizations for years, with the idea that it will create problems for them in their personal and professional lives. As Southern Poverty Law Center researcher Ryan Lenz says in the documentary Welcome to Leith about the attempted neo-Nazi takeover of a small North Dakota town, "If you wanna be a Nazi, you can be a Nazi. But I'm gonna make sure the world knows you're a Nazi."Logan Smith, who founded the YesYoureARacist feed, put it similarly: "Ever since the days of the KKK burning crosses in people's yards, they depend on people remaining silent," Smith told NPR. "And no matter the risk, I'm not going away." White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" march toward Emancipation Park in CharlottesvilleImage: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesYet, there's a problem. In a world where the President of the United States says there were "very fine people" on "both sides" of Saturday's rally, people might not care whether people know they're aligned with white supremacists, according to several demonstrators at the rally who railed against Jews, "faggots," and other groups. In fact, according to some, being exposed is only emboldening a movement they feel has essentially been endorsed by the president of the United States. "All we're doing is massively, massively growing," David Duke, the infamous former Ku Klux Klan leader who was at the rally in Charlottesville, told Mashable. Donald Trump mentioned Duke by name during a press conference on Tuesday where he defended the "good people" on the right who demonstrated in Charlottesville. Duke made headlines during last year's presidential election when he endorsed Trump. It took the president nearly a week to disavow the endorsement of a notorious white supremacist—who is perhaps the most well-known white supremacist of the last 30 years and whom Trump initially claimed to know nothing about. "I've gotten 15 million Twitter impressions [since the rally in Charlottesville] and 90 percent have been positive," Duke continued, adding that, "the Antifa [anti-fascist activists] might think they're making some gains on us [by outing white nationalists] but they're not...people see through it now. They see what's going on. They have the Internet. They saw what happened [in Charlottesville]. We weren't there for violence. We were there to make our point."For white nationalists, Duke's mission was accomplished. Those I spoke with expressed few regrets about what happened in Charlottesville, though many claimed to not support violence. (This claim is belied by the events, which left one woman dead and dozens wounded. The governor of Virginia described the white nationalists as more heavily armed than the police.) Outing a guy like Duke, or Richard Spencer—the de-facto leader of the "alt-right" movement—is pointless; their names are synonymous with white supremacy and a simple Google search will reveal who they are. But for people like Nigel Krofta, who stepped into the world of white nationalism and ended up unemployed and publicly dubbed a Nazi, the consequences could be more severe.Krofta, at least, doesn't care. In fact, he says, it's only strengthened his resolve. Asked if he considered the potential consequences of demonstrating with a group of white nationalists before Saturday, Krofta said, "Of course I did. However, it was a risk I was willing to take and I have no regrets."Krofta said his experience in Charlottesville—and the fallout from his activities—has only encouraged him to do more. He said he plans on joining a formal white nationalist group and to continue attending rallies. For the next one, he said, he and his "alt-right" cronies will be "better prepared.""I feel vindicated," he said. "[Getting exposed] strengthened my resolve." He added, "I have my own plans...I hope I do inspire more to be more active." White nationalist demonstrators surrounded by counter demonstrators in Charlottesville.Image: AP/REX/ShutterstockThe gloating and positive spin on what happened in Charlottesville is not unexpected, says Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, who tracks white nationalist groups like the "alt-right" and the National Socialist Movement, the country's primary neo-Nazi organization."Duke, Spencer and others will surely try to leverage this moment to double-down on their fantasies of creating a white civil rights movement," Segal said. He added, "Generally, the people who show up to rallies have already taken the leap [into unabashed white nationalism]...there are some unintended consequences to [publicly name them] that can backfire. White supremacists generally don't miss an opportunity to portray themselves as the victims."That's exactly what happened. People like Duke and Spencer have spent the last few days playing the victim on social media and beyond. President Trump appears to be paying attention to the plight of the poor white nationalists, as evidenced by that insane press conference on Tuesday, in which Trump repeatedly emphasized that both sides had done wrong.Krofta also doesn't have much faith in the identification tactics of the "alt-right's" opposition in terms of keeping people from upcoming rallies. While he concedes that people may be "afraid to show [once they] realize that all it takes is one photo to ruin their life," he's quick to add that he doesn't fall into that camp. "My life has not been ruined," he said.Efforts to identify participants could still deter some. On Aug. 19, a group of "free speech activists" with tentacles in the "alt-right" sphere are planning a rally in Boston. After the chaos in Virginia, speakers began to pull out of the event in fear of being publicly linked to the "alt-right." The group has publicly disavowed the rally in Charlottesville and insists that their organization is in no way affiliated with people like Duke or Spencer. But the rally is still a target for Antifa activists, who believe it's an extension of what happened in Charlottesville. "Yes, there is concern of doxxing and spreading of false information about people to cost them their careers," an unidentified administrator of the group's Facebook page said. "In fact, one of our members lost his job due to this defamation already." The rally in Boston is scheduled to go forth as of this writing, despite rumors that it had been canceled.For Krofta, his new-found infamy has only pushed him further into the world of white nationalism. As for his new buddy, alleged killer James Fields Jr., Krofta said he doesn't think his actions were premeditated. But he declined to condemn the alleged murder. Rather, Krofta excused it."I think people have to understand that the protesters had every street blocked and we were surrounded," he said. "They also had the parking garage blocked and surrounded. [He] was most likely looking for a way out of there."He added, "[Fields] did not have any plans to [slam his car through a crowd of people] to my knowledge...that is a very expensive car." If you're looking for direct ways to take action after the Charlottesville violence, we've identified five things you can do right now .
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| Barcelona attack: police shoot dead four terror suspects in Cambrils after van crashes into crowd at Las Ramblas, killing 13 Posted: 17 Aug 2017 06:57 PM PDT  'Several terrorists' shot dead in Cambrils operation Terror in Barcelona as van hits crowd in Las Ramblas 13 people killed and more than 100 people injured Driver still on the run, police confirm Islamic State claims responsibility Explosion at Alcanar house linked to Barcelona attack Two suspects arrested Another man shot dead at checkpoint - unclear if linked Driss Oubakir: who is the Barcelona suspect? Trump: 'we'll do whatever is necessary to help' Barcelona attack: Everything we know Who are the victims of the Las Ramblas terror attack? Terror returned to the streets of Europe on Thursday when a van ploughed into a crowd of people in Barcelona, killing at least 13 and injuring more than 100 others. Footage of the scene showed dozens of bodies sprawled across the pavement in Las Ramblas, a street popular with tourists. Two men, one Spanish and one Moroccan, were arrested but police said the driver of the van was still at large. In the early hours of Friday morning, in the town of Cambrils, 70 miles away, police killed four terror suspects. One suspect was injured. The suspects were thought to have been plotting a similar attack to Barcelona. Six civilians and one officer were injured in Cambrils. It was not known whether Cambrils was linked to the Las Ramblas attack. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack as Joaquim Forn, Catalonia's police chief, warned: "Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise." A handout photo made available by Spanish National Police shows Driss Oukabir, alleged to have rented the van which was used to crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas Credit: Spanish National Police/ HANDOUT On Thursday night it was confirmed that a three-year-old child was among the victims and 15 people people were in a critical condition. Liam Searle, 22, from Chichester, West Sussex, said he was skateboarding along the road at around 5.15pm with his headphones on when he heard "massive bangs and thuds" which he thought were gunshots. "I realised it was the van next to me hitting people." he said. "The van had stopped right next to me. That's when two men got out and I ran for my life." Driss Oukabir, a 28-year-old of Moroccan origin, was suspected of having rented the van used in the assault. Spanish reports later said he had handed himself in to police, who were investigating whether his brother had stolen his documentation. Pictured: the van reportedly used in the attack Two explosions at a house in the town of Alcanar, 120 miles south of Barcelona, on Wednesday night were last night linked by police to the attack. Officers said the residents had been preparing explosives. At least one person died and more than 16 were injured in what was initially thought to be a gas explosion. Theresa May, the Prime Minister, condemned the "terrible" Las Ramblas assault and said Britain stood firmly with Spain against terrorism. Donald Trump, the US president, tweeted that the US "will do whatever is necessary to help", adding: "Be tough & strong, we love you!." The Spanish royal family described the attackers as "assassins, criminals who won't terrorise us", while Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said the attack was "jihadist terrorism" requiring a global response. In the aftermath of the attack, metro and train stations were closed amid reports that the attackers had entrenched themselves in a nearby Turkish restaurant. This was dismissed as false by Spanish police, who advised tourists to stay in hotels. British tourist Steve Garrett was at a nearby market. Barcelona terror attack, in pictures "A large number of people ran into the market, lots of screaming, lots of shouting," he said. "We ran into a bakery with four or five others and ran straight upstairs. An enormous wave of people went through the market." A man was shot dead after running over two police officers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city later in the evening. Police said last night it did not appear that the incident was linked to the van attack. This was the eighth terror attack using a vehicle in Europe in the past three years, following the Nice assault in July 2016 that killed 86 and attacks on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge earlier this year that left four and eight people dead. Spain has not been hit by a serious terrorist incident since 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800. But the country's reputation as a tourist hotspot has raised the terror risk. Mapped: Barcelona van attack Earlier this year, jihadists warned that they would be seeking to take their campaign of death and destruction to popular areas in the Mediterranean. The CIA warned Spanish police two months ago that Las Ramblas was a potential target, reports said. "The CIA had already warned the Mossos d'Esquadra [police] that Barcelona might be a terrorist target … They even put the focus on the Ramblas," El Periodico stated. 2:01AM Eiffel Tower turns off lights in tribute Tonight, from 12:45 am, I will turn my lights off to pay tribute to the victims of the Barcelona attack. #EiffelTowerpic.twitter.com/NVtVgAQmE8— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) August 17, 2017 1:48AM Cambrils terror suspects 'had attempted to carry out a similar attack to that in Barcelona' RTVE reported that the suspects had attempted to carry out a similar attack to that in Barcelona by driving a van at pedestrians. The broadcaster said seven people were injured, including two seriously. 1:07AM Suspected attackers killed in Cambrils Spanish police have killed several people in a coastal town south of Barcelona in response to a terrorist attack. Reports of an operation by security services in Cambrils emerged shortly after 1am local time, some eight hours after a van driver killed 13 people and injured more than 100 in a terrorist attack in Barcelona. Bystanders could be seen running for cover and several gunshots heard in footage posted on social media that appeared to have been filmed on the town's beachfront promenade. We work with the hypothesis that the incident of #Cambrils respond to a terrorist attack. We have shot down the perpetrators— Mossos (@mossos) August 18, 2017 12:48AM 'Possible terror attack in Cambrils' Police say they are dealing with a "possible terror attack" in Cambrils. Local media report that three people have been killed in a police shootout. 12:26AM Operation underway in Cambrils A police operation is underway in the town of Cambrils, 70 miles south of Barcelona. The 112 Catalonia emergency service tweeted: "IF YOU'RE NOW IN £Cambrils avoid going out. Stay home, stay safe. Police operation ongoing." IF YOU'RE NOW IN #Cambrils avoid going out. Stay home, stay safe. Police operation ongoing— EmergènciesCatalunya (@emergenciescat) August 17, 2017 11:41PM Spanish PM says Barcelona van attack result of 'jihadist terrorism' Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the van attack in Barcelona that has killed at least 13 people was "jihadist terrorism" which required a global response. "Today the fight against terrorism is the principal priority for free and open societies like ours. It is a global threat and the response has to be global," Rajoy told a news conference in Barcelona. He said he would call on other Spanish political parties to reaffirm the country's anti-terrorism pact. 10:24PM Explosion on Wednesday in Alcanar linked to Las Ramblas attack Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that an explosion on Wednesday night in Alcanar, 120 miles south of Barcelona, is now believed to be connected to Thursday's attack. At the time police thought it was a gas explosion. The house was destroyed, with six people injured and one dead. Inside the house, which police believe was occupied for a few months, they found around 20 canisters of butane and propane gas. General view of the debris of a house after it completely collapsed after a gas leak explosion in a real state in the village of Alcanar, Catalonia, northeastern Spain, 17 August 2017 Credit: EPA/JAUME SELLART A woman was found dead inside and a man, discovered among the rubble, was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The explosion could be heard for several miles. 10:11PM Police: driver of van not among the two arrested suspects Police have said that neither of the two detained suspects was the driver. Josep Lluis Trapero, a senior police officer, said the two suspects in custody were directly linked to the attack, "but that doesn't mean that either were the author of the attack". The wereabouts of the driver was unclear last night. The two suspects in custody in the Barcelona van attack are a Spanish national from Melilla and a Moroccan. 9:55PM Theresa May full statement The Prime Minister has given a longer statement: I am sickened by the senseless loss of life in Barcelona today. The Foreign Office is working to establish if any British nationals were involved in this appalling incident and we are in close contact with the authorities in Spain, who have our full support. Following the attacks in Manchester and London, Spain stood alongside the British people. Tonight, Britain stands with Spain against the evil of terrorism. 9:53PM CIA 'warned Spanish authorities two months ago Las Ramblas was a terriortarget' The CIA warned Spanish police two months ago that Las Ramblas in particular was a terror target, reports said. 9:09PM Oukabir 'denies involvement in Las Ramblas attack' A local newspaper in Catalonia, El Nacional, reported that Oukabir told police in Ripoll that he had nothing to do with the Barcelona attack. He said that his documents had been stolen and used to hire the car, sources told the paper. Jordi Munell, mayor of Ripoll, confirmed that Oukabir had denied any involvement in the attack. The Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police force, said they were looking into the report and not confirm or deny it. 8:34PM Man who drove at police officers at checkpoint shot dead The police force for Spain's Catalonia region says troopers have shot and killed a man who was in a car that hit two officers at a traffic blockade in Barcelona. The Mossos d'Esquadra force did not indicate if the incident was related to the van attack in the city's Las Ramblas . Local media reports say a white Ford Focus ran over the officers and then was intercepted by police 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away. That's where troopers shot one man dead. 8:27PM Islamic State claims responsibility The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack, according to a statement from its Amaq "news agency". 8:20PM Death toll 12 - 80 people hospitalised Catalonia's regional president says 12 dead and 80 victims hospitalised in Barcelona van attack. 8:16PM Two arrests made after attack Catalonia's regional president says there have been two arrests after the Barcelona van attack. Separately local reports said a suspect had been shot dead by police. It remains unclear how many people were involved in the attack. 8:07PM Spain's royals condemn the 'assassins, simply criminals who will not terrorise us' Spain's royal palace has condemned the deadly van attack in Barcelona, calling the perpetrators "assassins, simply criminals who will not terrorise us." The royal palace's statement, which was posted on Twitter, also said that "All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will once again be for all." 8:02PM Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy heads to Barcelona to coordinate security response Me traslado ya a Barcelona. Máxima coordinación para detener a los autores, reforzar la seguridad y atender a todos los afectados. Unidad MR— Mariano Rajoy Brey (@marianorajoy) August 17, 2017 Mr Rajoy said that "the terrorists will never destroy a united people who love liberty over barbarism. All of Spain is with the victims and families." 7:58PM Former Holby City star hid in restaurant freezer during attack Laila Rouass, the former Holby City actress and wife of snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan, hid in a restaurant freezer during the attack. In the middle of the attack. Hiding in a restaurant freezer. Happened so fast. Praying for the safety of everyone here x— Laila Rouass (@lailarouass) August 17, 2017 Gunshots just heard. Armed police running down thw street looking for someone— Laila Rouass (@lailarouass) August 17, 2017 Ronnie O'Sullivan receiving an O.B.E. in 2016 pictured with his mother Maria O'Sullivan (right) and partner Laila Rouass (left) Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS 7:51PM 'Suspected attacker killed in shootout with police' -local media reports One of the suspected attackers involved in mowing down people in Barcelona has been killed in a shootout with police on the outskirts of the city, La Vanguardia newspaper reported. Police earlier confirmed they had arrested a man in connection with the attack. It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved in the incident 7:44PM Angela Merkel condemns 'revolting attack' The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday condemned the "revolting attack" in Barcelona. "We are thinking with profound sadness of the victims of the revolting attack in Barcelona - with solidarity and frienship alongside the Spanish people," tweeted spokesman Steffen Seibert. 7:42PM Macron vows solidarity with Spain French President Emmanuel Macron voiced solidarity with Spain. "We remain united and determined," Macron said on Twitter, describing it as a "tragic attack" and saying his thoughts were with the victims. 7:41PM Briton caught up in Barcelona attack talks of her 'unbridled fear' Susan Maclean, who is on holiday in Barcelona with her husband, said she was "very lucky" to have avoided the van as it ploughed through the crowds. She told Channel 4 News: "All of a sudden, there was this screaming and hordes of people, like a tidal wave of people, fear etched in their faces, running towards us, many of them yelling in Spanish. "We had no idea what was going on. My first thought was this is a terrorist attack." She said she felt "unbridled fear" during the incident where she was barricaded into a nearby shop for safety. Ms Maclean said: "It was very difficult to know what was going on. "People were shouting. We could hear the word 'shooting, shooting'. We weren't really sure whether that was shooting as in the English or a Spanish word so it was just unbridled fear." 7:29PM Theresa May: 'UK stands with Spain against terror' Britain "stands with Spain against terror", Prime Minister Theresa May said following the deadly attack. "My thoughts are with the victims of today's terrible attack in Barcelona and the emergency services responding to this ongoing incident. The UK stands with Spain against terror," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. 7:04PM Donald Trump: we'll do whatever is necessary to help The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017 7:01PM Melania Trump send her thoughts and prayers The US first lady tweeted: Thoughts and prayers to #Barcelona— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 17, 2017 7:00PM Suspect arrested Spanish public broadcaster RTVE says one suspect in the Barcelona van attack has been arrested. 6:43PM Passport 'found at scene' Barcelona's Tv3 reports that the Spanish passport of a person of Moroccan origin was found at the scene of the attack. 6:42PM Second van 'found by police' Reuters, citing local authorities, reports that a second van has been found by police in the town of Vic, north of Barcelona. 6:39PM Jeremy Corbyn tweets his support Terrible reports from Barcelona. My thoughts are with those killed and injured, and the emergency services working to save lives.— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 17, 2017 6:36PM London stands with Barcelona Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has tweeted: My thoughts are with the victims of this barbaric terrorist attack in the great city of Barcelona and with their brave emergency services.— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) August 17, 2017 6:16PM 'There was a mini stampede' Ethan Spibey, a charity director on holiday in the city, said he had taken shelter in a nearby church with several others after Thursday's van ramming. "All of a sudden it was real kind of chaos... people just started running screaming," he told Sky. "There was kind of a mini stampede. "It seems like a lot of people have taken refuge in shops and local cafes." A woman cries as she phones after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing one person and injuring several others on the Rambla in Barcelona Credit: AFP/Getty Images A video circulating on social media showed at least 19 people lying injured on the pavement down the centre of Las Ramblas. Many victims can be seen bleeding, some heavily, while being tended to by passersby. Souvenirs are strewn across the path, having apparently been knocked over in the chaos. Armed police are visible in the background. 6:12PM One death confirmed by police A police official in Barcelona has said that one death has been confirmed, and 32 others have been injured in the van attack, ten of which are seriously injured. At least 56 people have been taken to hospitals across the city, according to local newspaper La Vanguardia. 6:08PM Van 'was going very fast, without caring about who was in its way' TV3 says it now has official confirmation that thirteen people are dead. It also says there are dozens of injured. Eyewitness Lourdes Porcar told TV3 television station that she saw the van running people over. "It was going very fast, without caring about who was in its way," she said. Police have set up roadblocks around the city amid reports that a second van was involved in the attack and fled the scene. Injured people are treated in Barcelona, Spain There are also reports that at least on attacker is holed up in a Turkish restaurant on Carrer Hospital, which leads off from the spot in which the van appears to have come to a halt. Television pictures show that a van came to a halt on top of a Joan Miro mosaic, half-way down Las Ramblas - meaning that it would have covered more than 500 metres. 5:59PM Las Ramblas potentially deadliest attack since 2004 bombing The deadliest recent attack in Spain was in March 2004, when Islamist militants placed bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,800. 5:55PM Death toll 'could be as high as 13' Reuters reports that at least 13 people have been killed in the attack, citing local media. 5:52PM President has been informed, says White House The White House's chief of staff said it was keeping President Trump closely informed about the situation. 5:49PM 'Second van' linked to attack Police are looking for a second van that may have been involved in the attack, Sky News reports 5:49PM Tourists speak of shock Police stationed at the cordon a block away from Plaza Catalunya, on Passeig de Gracia, say they have no information what is happening inside. Confused tourists, shoppers and business owners gathered at its edges, awaiting some word or direction as to what to do. Ines Prauka, a 49 year old tourist from Berlin arrived with her 14 year old daughter Adel for a one week holiday just an hour or two before the attack. Injured people are treated by emergency services at the scene They had just checked in to an apartment at the top of the Ramblas and come out in search of a supermarket to find pandemonium on the street. "Everybody was running and panicking and crying," she said. Ambulances arrived and police told them to run away, but they did not understand as the orders came in Spanish, she said, and had to ask. Ms Prauka was clearly in shock and struggled to speak at times. "It's unbelievable. Two hours in Barcelona and this. We are shocked. Policemen accompany an elderly woman near a cordoned off area Credit: PAU BARRENA "It's the first time we've been in a situation of everyone crying and panicking around us, we didn't know if it was terrorism, a bomb." Berlin had been touched by terrorism but they had never experienced it personally, she said, adding that she did not know where to take her daughter now. "A one week summer holiday in Barcelona and that was the start," she said. 5:45PM Barcelona police to hold press conference Local police are expected to begin a press conference in around ten minutes. Stay with us for the latest updates. 5:39PM 'There was panic everywhere," says eyewitness Daksha Dixit, a 28 year old tourist visiting from Mumbai with family, said they had been on a tourist bus which had just dropped them off one block from Plaza Cataluña when they heard the news. "We got off and people were panicking, no one knew what was going on. There was panic everywhere." An injured person is carried in Barcelona, Spain Credit: Oriol Duran/AP The family arrived just yesterday for a one week trip and their hotel is on the Ramblas inside the cordon. They were unclear as to what exactly was unfolding, with Miss Dixit adding: "I don't know what to do". 5:32PM Attacker used rented van Catalan police say they are treating the crash as a suspected terrorist attack but cannot yet confirm the motive. It has also been reported that the attack vehicle was a rented van. That would suggest, if this is confirmed as a terrorist attack, that same terrorists are imitating the perpetrators of the London Bridge attack, where a rented van was also used. Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, 5:26PM 'We heard gunshots...there was screaming and shouting' Steve Garrett was in a nearby market and sheltered in a bakery with several others after streams of people ran inside. One member of the group, who took refuge with him, said she had heard gunshots after the incident. Armed police officers patrol an empty street after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona Credit: REUTERS Mr Garrett told the BBC: "A very large number of people ran into the market area in a big kind of way, lots of screaming, lots of shouting. "The security guards immediately responded. We ran into the bakery with four or five other people and ran straight upstairs and hunkered down whilst an enormous wave of people went through the market. An armed policeman arrives in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla "Obviously coming from England it was reminding me a great deal of what happened in London, so we were very concerned about what might be going on next. Police speak to an injured person at the scene. Local media report the van driver ran away "The lady that was with us said she heard some gunshots." Mr Garrett said a "second wave" of people then entered the market, followed by armed police. Screengrab taken with permission from video posted on twitter by @pawilerma of the scene in Las Ramblas He said: "They seemed to sweep through the market area. They seemed to be looking for someone. They were going very carefully, very cautiously, stall to stall." Jordi Lino was on a bus going down the Ramblas when he saw the attack: "First I saw people running and then the van. There were injured people in the middle of the Ramblas." 5:20PM Footage appears to show crash vehicle Footage appears to show damaged vehicle in cordoned-off Barcelona street 00:31 5:16PM Confusion and panic in Las Ramblas Telegraph reporter Hannah Strange has arrived at Las Ramblas, where she says there is a very heavy police presence, confusion, and helicopters flying overhead. Local media is reporting is that several people have died. The Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted unnamed police sources as saying the perpetrators of the crash were holed up in a bar in Tallers Street. There was no immediate police confirmation of the report. Inside the glossy stores of Passeig de Gracia, shoppers and staff sheltered behind glass windows. Many streamed away from the cordon but others stayed on the street in an eerie limbo, the ambulances racing past the only clue as to the status of the situation. 5:14PM Armed police pictured at scene Omg �� #barcelonapic.twitter.com/p0jZd25oxx— sommermädchen (@_corazondelsol) August 17, 2017 5:12PM Restaurant hostage situation is ongoing Two armed men have entrenched themselves in a Turkish bar and restaurant in Barcelona's city centre after a van mowed down dozens of people, El Periodico newspaper reported on Wednesday. El Periodico reported gunfire in the area of La Boqueria Market, although it did not cite the source of the information. It was not immediately clear that the men were the drivers of the van. 5:06PM Several bodies lay in street in aftermath of attack In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street of the northern Spanish city Thursday afternoon, apparently being helped by police and others. Videos of the scene recorded people screaming as they fled. A police officer cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain Police cordoned off the broad, popular street, ordering stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene. 5:02PM 'It was chaos...everyone was in panic mode' Aamer Anwar was walking down Las Ramblas at the time, which he said was "jam-packed" with tourists. He told Sky News: "All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming. I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids. "Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere. Then the whole street started getting pushed back." Panicked onlookers at the scene of the attack Mr Anwar described the scene as "chaos", with everyone in "panic mode". He added: "Police officers who got there just started screaming at people to move back, move back. "One of the shopkeepers tried to speak to him. He said he saw five or six people seriously injured on the ground, a van had driven into people. "And literally within probably 30 seconds, police vans, ambulances, police officers with guns, were piling out and we were being sectioned off and then being pushed rapidly back down Ramblas." 4:51PM Eyewitness: It was terriyfying One witness told Sky News: "It was quite terrifying. All of a sudden scores of people ran towards us, hysterical, children hysterical... first of all they said someone had been shot. ��Atropello múltiple en las #Ramblas. Se solicita a los ciudadanos no transitar por la zona de Plaza Catalunya. +info @emergenciescat— Policía Nacional (@policia) August 17, 2017 "All of a sudden a second wave of people came down the street, we just ran, I lost my husband in the melee. The shops went into lockdown mode." She added: "We really had no idea what was going on other than that we needed to get ourselves out of there very quickly... there was just hundreds of people running away very quickly." Police at the scene of the crash Another said: "We were just told to run, it must have been quite close because... there was an immediate stampede to run away. We were just a minute away from it." 4:50PM Local media: Armed men have entered a restaurant Spanish media is now reporting that armed men entered a restaurant shortly after the attack took place. 4:48PM Emergency services - close nearby train and metro stations Catalan emergency services have asked that nearby metro stations be closed. Here are some images of the scene. A policeman stands next to an ambulance after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons 4:43PM Suspected driver 'fled on foot' The suspected driver has fled the vehicle, according to local police. It remains unclear whether the crash is terror-related. 4:41PM Reports suggest the crash happened outside a Kosher restaurant After seeing photos, does appear that the van hit people outside Barcelona's Kosher restaurant, Maccabi, but also in a much wider area.— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) August 17, 2017 4:39PM Several victims treated on the ground In a photograph shown by public broadcaster RTVE, three people were lying on the ground in the street and were apparently being helped by police and others. Police cordoned off the broad street and shut down its stores 4:38PM The scene in La Rambla The scene in La Rambla 4:35PM Las Ramblas Las Ramblas is an iconic avenue in the centre of Barcelona, visited by millions of tourists every year 4:31PM Area evacuated The local police force was said to be evacuating the area including the nearby main square the Plaza de Catalunya. Shops have put up their shutters with shoppers inside, newspaper La Vanguardia reported.
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| Ex-NY governor hopeful who insulted Obamas kicked off board Posted: 17 Aug 2017 05:14 PM PDT  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — One-time Republican candidate for New York governor Carl Paladino, whose published insults of former President Barack Obama provoked a public uproar, was removed from Buffalo's school board Thursday for improperly discussing teacher contract negotiations.
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| World's Saddest Right-Wing Protest Draws 7 People To Seattle's Lenin Statue Posted: 17 Aug 2017 04:59 PM PDT  Far-right "Pizzagate" conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec tweeted videos and photos Wednesday showing him leading a group of people protesting a Vladimir Lenin statue in Seattle. Video shows Posobiec leading the group in a chant of "tear it down, tear it down" as the protesters — wearing "Make America Great Again" caps and holding placards bearing phrases like "Lenin is Hitler" and "Alt Left Hate" — marched around the statue.It appears that about 7 people, including Posobiec, attended the demonstration. Trump Supporters Demand Marxist Statue of Lenin Must Be Torn Down pic.twitter. ...
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| Southern anger: Nazis, KKK 'hijacking' Confederate debate Posted: 17 Aug 2017 03:28 PM PDT ![Southern anger: Nazis, KKK 'hijacking' Confederate debate]( "Southern anger: Nazis, KKK 'hijacking' Confederate debate") CHULAFINNEE, Ala. (AP) — White Southerners who equate Old South symbols with regional pride rather than hate are even more on the defensive since neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen and other extremists became the face of the fight over Confederate monuments.
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| New York to axe Confederate busts from 'hall of fame' Posted: 17 Aug 2017 02:37 PM PDT  New York authorities are taking steps to remove two busts of Confederate commanders from a "Hall of Fame" as America's most populous city joins others in erasing symbols of the pro-slavery Civil War South. Bronx Community College said the bust of General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, and another of one of his top generals, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, would be removed in two to three days. "We want to make it sure we get it done quickly, but without causing damage," said Karla Williams, executive legal counsel at the College, which is part of The City University of New York.
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