| Shark tears Frenchwoman's hands off in attack off Polynesian paradise island Posted: 22 Oct 2019 07:19 AM PDT  AFrench tourist has lost both her hands in a rare shark attack in the Pacific islands of Polynesia, say emergency services. The 35-year-old woman was swimming during a whale-watching trip on Monday off the island of Mo'orea - a honeymoon destination in the French overseas territory - when the oceanic whitetip shark bit into her chest and arms. "Luckily for her, there were two nurses on the scene who could deliver first aid," firefighter Jean-Jacques Riveta told AFP. "When we got to the hotel jetty, she was conscious but in a critical condition. She had lost a lot of blood and both her hands had been cut off at the forearm," along with part of her chest, he said. She was airlifted to the nearby island of Tahiti, some 11 miles northeast. Her condition is reportedly stable. The conservationist and oceanographic researcher Jacques Cousteau described the oceanic whitetip as "the most dangerous of all sharks", notorious for picking off survivors of shipwrecks or downed aircraft. However, attacks near land are uncommon as it prefers off-shore, deep-ocean areas and rarely approaches the coast. The French tourist was attacked by an oceanic whitetip Credit: Jacek Dybowski/Mercury Press Experts said the sharks, dubbed locally "parata", are known to follow dolphin pods. Pierrick Seybald, president of the Ma'O shark protection foundation and local whale-watching guide, said they can be approached as long as "you always keep eye contact with the shark and adopt appropriate body language with guides who know how to redirect them". Their numbers have declined steeply in recent years as they are prized as the chief ingredient of shark-fin soup. Attacks are rare in French Polynesia but the French Indian Ocean island of La Réunion has suffered a string of them in recent years - 31 since 2011, including 11 fatalities, two in 2019 - prompting it to shut certain beaches and surf spots. Earlier this month, local fisherman reeled in a 4.6m (13ft) tiger shark off the tourist resort of Boucan-Canot. Local authorities issued warnings not to bathe or use motorised craft outside of the lagoon and to respect warning flags signalling recent shark sightings. The International Shark Attack File, the longest maintained database on worldwide shark attacks, this year stated that shark populations are dwindling, mainly due to over-fishing and habitat loss. "On average there are only six fatalities that are attributable to unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, each year. By contrast about 100 million sharks and rays are killed each year by fisheries." However, it added: "As world population continues its upsurge and interest in aquatic recreation concurrently rises, we realistically should expect increases in the number of shark attacks and other aquatic recreation-related injuries."
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| Boris Johnson Finally Gets to Put His Deal to the Vote: Brexit Update Posted: 22 Oct 2019 01:18 AM PDT ![Boris Johnson Finally Gets to Put His Deal to the Vote: Brexit Update]( "Boris Johnson Finally Gets to Put His Deal to the Vote: Brexit Update") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Prime Minister Boris Johnson will find out Tuesday evening whether he has any chance of getting his Brexit deal through Parliament -- and whether he can do it ahead of his Oct. 31 deadline.Having twice been denied a vote on whether members of Parliament support his deal, Johnson has introduced the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which would implement the deal in law, and plans to push it through Parliament at a breakneck pace.His moment of truth will come at around 7 p.m. in London, with what's known as the Second Reading vote -- on whether Parliament agrees with the general principles of the bill. There will then be another vote immediately afterward on his proposed fast-track timetable for passing the law.The EU leadership is giving its own update on the Brexit state of play on Brexit at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, reiterated that the European Parliament would only be able to ratify the Brexit deal after the U.K. Parliament. That threatens Johnson's ambition to leave the bloc on Oct. 31.Follow developments as they happen here. All times U.K.Key Developments:From 8 a.m., Tusk and Juncker brief European Parliament on outcome of last week's leaders' summitFrom 12:30 p.m. The main debate on the general principle of the Brexit deal starts in Parliament 7 p.m. House of Commons votes on the general principle of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (known as "second reading") and then immediately on the proposed fast-track timetable for rushing the law through Parliament (the so-called program motion)Government Hints It Will Pull Bill If MPs Amend It (8.30 a.m.)Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC radio the government will not accept any amendments to the Brexit bill that "compromise the integrity of the deal we have secured from the EU," implying the government will pull the bill altogether and seek a general election if MPs change Johnson's legislation to include a second referendum or to keep the U.K. in the EU's customs union.Labour has repeatedly voted down Johnson's attempts for a general election, arguing an extension must be agreed with the European Union first.Juncker Expresses Brexit Regret (8:25 a.m.)For the European Union, Brexit has been a "waste of time and a waste of energy" when the bloc should have been doing other things, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.Standing with EU Council President Donald Tusk before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Juncker said the EU has done all in its power to prevent a no-deal Brexit. He reiterated that the European Parliament -- which has a veto over the Brexit deal -- would only be able to ratify the deal after the British Parliament. That's a potential spanner in the works when it comes to Boris Johnson's ambition to leave the bloc on Oct. 31.EU's Tusk Still Consulting on Delay (8:20 a.m.)EU Council President Donald Tusk said the situation on Brexit is complicated by the events in the House of Commons on Saturday, and a delay will depend on what the U.K. Parliament "decides or doesn't decide." Tusk is still consulting the EU's 27 leaders on how to respond to Boris Johnson's extension request, he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.MPs Have Time to Scrutinize Deal: Government (8:10 a.m.)Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News there will be "sufficient" time for members of Parliament to go over the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and that the "vast majority" know where they on Brexit.But MPs from across the House of Commons are threatening to vote against Boris Johnson's accelerated timetable for his Brexit plan, arguing three days of debate is not enough for proper analysis of the 110-page piece of legislation.Former Conservative Cabinet minister Rory Stewart, who now sits as an independent, told BBC radio Parliament should have "normal time" to discuss the bill, highlighting concerns from voters who wish to remain in the European Union and a lack of trust in Johnson's government.Johnson: Get Brexit Done and Move On (Earlier)On the eve of the votes, the prime minister appealed to members of Parliament to back his deal and push it through the House of Commons."We have negotiated a new deal so that we can leave without disruption and provide a framework for a new relationship based on free trade and friendly cooperation," Boris Johnson said in an emailed statement."I hope Parliament today votes to take back control for itself and the British people and the country can start to focus on the cost of living, the NHS, and conserving our environment," he said. "The public doesn't want any more delays, neither do other European leaders and neither do I. Let's get Brexit done on Oct. 31 and move on."Earlier:Boris Johnson Finally Gets to Put His Brexit Deal to the VoteBrexit's Big Winner So Far Is Boris Johnson: Clive CrookFacebook Pledges Tighter Scrutiny for Next U.K. Election\--With assistance from John Ainger.To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump viewed Ukraine as adversary, not ally, witnesses say Posted: 21 Oct 2019 07:17 PM PDT  The president, according to people familiar with testimony in the House impeachment investigation, sees the Eastern European ally, not Russia, as responsible for the interference in the 2016 election that was investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller. It's a view denied by the intelligence community, at odds with U.S. foreign policy and dismissed by many of Trump's fellow Republicans, but part of a broader skepticism of Ukraine being shared with Trump by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his key regional ally Viktor Orban of Hungary. Trump's embrace of an alternative view of Ukraine suggests the extent to which his approach to Kyiv — including his request, now central to the impeachment inquiry, that the Ukraine president do him a "favor" and investigate Democrats — was colored by a long-running, unproven conspiracy theory that has circulated online and in some corners of conservative media.
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