Icetruck

Trump fires back after McCain attacks 'spurious nationalism'

US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Senator John McCain a day after his fellow Republican delivered a thinly veiled attack in a speech.

"People have to be careful because at some point I fight back," Mr Trump told a Washington radio station on Tuesday.

On Monday, the senator deplored "half-baked, spurious nationalism" in a perceived slight at Mr Trump's so-called America First policy.

A former prisoner of war, Mr McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer in July.

"I'm being very, very nice but at some point I fight back and it won't be pretty," Mr Trump told WMAL on Tuesday in response to a question about the senator's remarks.

Mr McCain was asked by journalists about Mr Trump's remark, and he responded: "I have faced tougher adversaries."

Receiving the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia a day earlier, the six-term senator from Arizona warned against the US surrendering its international leadership.

Mr McCain was applauded as he said: "To fear the world we have organised and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of Earth for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

"We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil," he continued.

"We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did."

Liberated from ballot box backlash

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

John McCain, in the twilight of a career in public service that spans four decades, is telling America how he really feels. He's not happy about what Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party – and the nation.

This isn't the first time Mr McCain has criticised the president, but these are some of his most direct comments – ones offered after the senator matched words with actions, voting twice against healthcare reform bills the president was pushing.

Just last week another Republican senator, Bob Corker, verbally sparred with the president. Like Mr McCain, Mr Corker – who recently announced his retirement – has probably faced voters for the last time. Both are liberated from any ballot-box backlash from angry Trump supporters.

Their criticisms will no doubt sting the president. Until Republican politicians in power – and those who want to stay there – join the public critiques, however, these swipes, no matter how direct, may have little lasting significance.

Follow @awzurcher

The Liberty Medal is an award recognising leadership in pursuit of freedom whose previous recipients have included Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Muhammad Ali and Tony Blair.

Mr McCain was presented with the medal by former US Vice-President Joe Biden, whose eldest son died from the same type of cancer Mr McCain now has.

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Mr Biden praised the "courage and loyalty" of his former colleague and ex-Navy pilot.

Mr McCain recently torpedoed Trump-backed Republican attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare, the 2010 healthcare law.

According to political website Axios, the US president mocked Mr McCain's thumbs-down gesture as he rejected one of the bills.

Mr McCain has limited mobility of his arms as a result of his injuries from being shot down and tortured in a North Vietnamese prison.

During his presidential campaign, Mr Trump was criticised when he said Mr McCain was not a war hero, adding: "I like people who weren't captured."

Source – bbc.com

Adobe patches Flash bug used for planting spying tools

Adobe has patched a new Flash security flaw that was being used by attackers to install spying tools on victims' computers.

The security bug was delivered using malicious Flash files embedded in Microsoft Word documents, sent as an email attachment to targets.

When the document was opened, the FinSpy malware would secretly install itself.

The vulnerability was discovered by Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab.

The flaw was discovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers on 10 October.

They found that the attacker – thought to be a group called BlackOasis – was targeting the governments of various countries who are members of the United Nations, as well as oil and gas companies in several regions.

In the UK, activists and several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were targeted by the attackers, but not government agencies.

Kaspersky contacted Adobe on the same day it discovered the exploit, and Adobe published the patch on Monday 16 October.

What is FinSpy?

FinSpy is a surveillance software product developed by Anglo-German firm Gamma International.

It is a legal spying tool that is used by law enforcement agencies around the world for lawful surveillance during criminal and anti-terror investigations.

"What is unusual about BlackOasis is that they are using legal surveillance tools to hit other nation states," Costin Raiu, the director of Kaspersky's Global Research & Analysis Team told the BBC.

"This is unusual because everybody was using these tools for lawful surveillance in their own countries."

Due to the numerous security issues relating to Adobe Flash, the software is now gradually being phased out.

However, some older websites still use it, so web browsers now come with protections to prevent attackers from exploiting Flash to sneakily install malware on consumers' computers.

This has proved effective in curtailing Flash exploits in the web browser, so to make the attack work, BlackOasis appeared to have embedded a Flash file in a Microsoft Word document, because this stops the typical protections from working.

Mr Raiu thinks that Microsoft should consider blocking certain types of files from launching when Word documents are opened.

He recommended that consumers install the patch for Flash even if they don't think they are using it on their computers, because it might still be installed.

"The most worrying thing in this story is that tools produced by these companies specialising in lawful surveillance are being used to fuel cross-country espionage and contribute to the increasing climate of world cyber war," said Mr Raiu.

"The creator of the tool is a UK company, and then it is used to spy on British targets. I just find the whole concept a bit worrying."

Source – bbc.com

Somalia blood appeal after Mogadishu truck bombing

Somalia is appealing for blood to treat those wounded in Saturday's huge truck bombing in the capital, Mogadishu, which killed at least 281 people.

Information Minister Abdirahman Osman told the BBC the death toll was likely to rise, and more help was needed.

He said more than 300 people had been injured in Somalia's deadliest terror attack in 10 years, and more bodies were trapped under rubble.

Two planes of medial aid – from the US and Qatar – have landed in the capital.

• Africa Live: More on this and other stories
• Bomb victims: Searching for clues
• Why 'Pray for Mogadishu' is not trending

Turkey and Djibouti sent humanitarian assistance on Monday – and a Turkish military plane has taken 40 of the injured to Turkey for medical treatment.

Neighbouring Kenya also plans to airlift some of the victims for further treatment, and in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, hundreds of people been donating blood.

Queuing to give blood

By Bashkas Jugsodaay, BBC Africa, Nairobi

Young and old residents alike have been queuing here in Eastleigh, known as Nairobi's "Little Mogadishu, to give blood since the early in the morning.

This tragedy feels personal for the thousands of Somalis who have settled in the neighbourhood since fleeing the conflict in their home country.

Konsar Mohamed, 20, told me she lost a friend in the attack. "It hurts a lot. We used to laugh a lot… I want to tell him 'rest in peace my brother.'"

She says has donated blood because "this is the biggest gift I can give to my people".

Mr Osman blamed the Islamist al-Shabab group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, for the attack.

The minister thanked the hundreds of Mogadishu residents who had already donated blood.

Somalia does not have a blood bank, which was hampering some of the aid efforts, he told the Reuters news agency.

On Monday, 165 unidentified bodies were buried by the authorities.

There were burnt beyond recognition and there was no means of identifying them.

A youth group, with the help of the government, has started a social media campaign to raise money for the families of the victims and organise blood donations for the injured.

More about al-Shabab:

• Why does al-Shabab target hotels?

• Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

Of those who were identified, one of the victims was a medical student due to graduate the next day.

Maryam Abdullahi's father had flown to Mogadishu to attend her graduation but instead witnessed her burial.

The truck exploded at a busy junction, destroying hotels, government offices and restaurants.

A 22,000-strong African Union force is in the country trying to help the government recapture territory from al-Shabab, whose fighters are active in much of rural southern Somalia.

Mr Osman said the UN-backed government had been calling for an easing of an arms embargo on Somalia for years.

"Our security forces are not enabled to carry out sophisticated security operations that will stop such attacks," he told the BBC's Newsday programme.

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Source – bbc.com

Raqqa: IS 'capital' falls to US-backed Syrian forces

A US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters says it has taken full control of Raqqa, ending three years of rule in the city by so-called Islamic State.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Talal Sello said the fighting was over after a four-month assault.

Clearing operations were now under way to uncover any jihadist sleeper cells and remove landmines, he added.

However, a US military spokesman later said he could only confirm that about 90% of the city had been cleared.

Islamic State (IS) made Raqqa the headquarters of its self-styled "caliphate" in early 2014, implementing an extreme interpretation of Islamic law and using beheadings, crucifixions and torture to terrorise residents who opposed its rule.

The city also became home to thousands of jihadists from around the world who heeded a call to migrate there by IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

How did the Raqqa offensive unfold?

The SDF was formed by the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia two years ago along with a number of smaller, Arab factions. It says it is not aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or the rebels seeking to overthrow him.

With the help of US-led coalition air strikes, weapons and special forces, SDF fighters have driven IS out of more than 8,000 sq km (3,100 sq miles) of territory.

Last November, they began a major operation to capture Raqqa. They slowly encircled the city before breaking through IS defences on the outskirts in June.

On Tuesday morning, the SDF cleared the last two major IS positions in Raqqa – the municipal stadium and the National Hospital.

• Islamic State group: The full story
• The city fit for no-one
• Inside 'Islamic State': A Raqqa diary

Reuters news agency reported that fighters raised the YPG flag inside the stadium, celebrated in the streets and chanted slogans from their vehicles.

Dozens of foreign militants were believed to have made their last stand in the stadium, while 22 were reportedly killed in the final attack on the hospital.

Up to 300 militants were thought to be holding out on Sunday, after Syrian jihadists and their families were evacuated along with 3,500 civilians under a deal negotiated by the Raqqa Civil Council and local Arab tribal elders.

"Everything is finished in Raqqa, our forces have taken full control of Raqqa," Mr Sello told AFP news agency on Tuesday afternoon.

"The military operations in Raqqa have finished, but there are clearing operations now under way to uncover any sleeper cells there might be and remove mines."

Mr Sello said an official statement declaring victory in the city would be made soon.

However, the coalition would only say that the battle was "near its end", with spokesman Col Ryan Dillon estimating that about 100 militants were left in Raqqa.

What has been the human cost?

There has been a "staggering loss of civilian life" in Raqqa, according to UN war crimes investigators.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported on Tuesday that at least 3,250 people had been killed in the past five months, among them 1,130 civilians. Hundreds more were missing and might be buried under destroyed buildings, it said.

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The anti-IS activist group, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, said more than 1,873 civilians had been killed.

Activists said many of the civilian casualties were the result of the intense US-led air strikes that helped the SDF advance, though the coalition said it had adhered to strict targeting processes and procedures aimed to minimise risks to civilians.

IS militants also used civilians as human shields and shot those trying to flee.

The UN said last week that about 8,000 people were still trapped in Raqqa, and that almost 270,000 civilians had been displaced since April.

Air strikes, shelling and clashes on the ground have also destroyed Raqqa's civilian infrastructure and homes. A local councillor recently estimated that at least half of the city was destroyed.

• IS wives: Why I joined the 'caliphate' in Raqqa
• Where is IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?

Save the Children warned that while the battle was now over the humanitarian crisis was continuing, with the displaced in critical need of aid and camps "bursting at the seams".

"Conditions in the camps are miserable, and families do not have enough food, water or medicine. But it is not yet safe for them to go back, and many of their homes are now turned to rubble," said the charity's Syria director, Sonia Khush.

What is left of IS in Syria?

The jihadist group still has a number of footholds, the largest of which runs along the Euphrates river valley in the south-eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

However, the SDF and Syrian government forces – which are backed by Russian air strikes and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement – have launched separate offensives in the province with the aim of taking control of a key crossing on the border with Iraq.

IS has also suffered a series of defeats in recent months to Iraqi government forces, who are advancing along the Euphrates on the other side of the border.

The US-led coalition said on Tuesday that forces it supported had reclaimed 93,790 sq km of Iraqi and Syrian territory seized by IS in 2014 and freed 6.6 million people from jihadist control.

Source – bbc.com

Scott Disick is an entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed lord who got fame with the very popular show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. He is for sure a black sheep for the Kardashian and the Jenner family. He has been welcomed by them into the family over the years, only to get kicked out again and then return back eventually. His battles with the lifestyle of a playboy, considering himself the King attitude and the disregard he has for Kourtney Kardashian’s feelings have made him a character which everyone loves to dislike. He said in an interview that he has realized that he is way too perfect and it’s everybody around him who have got issues. He has a very womanizing sort of nature. Kourtney in the show asked him that isn’t it disrespect towards her and their children to show such kind of attitude. But now everything has changed. As they are not together anymore. Scott is free like a free bird. He can be with as many women as he wants. But there are a few things which are common in all the women he has dated. Some of them are given below:

14. Abs:

Image Credits: Hollywood life

No one can deny the fact that Scott Disick loves women who have a toned stomach. Like Kourtney, Bella Throne and Megan Blake Irwin.

13. Must Be In Their Earlier Twenties:

Scott likes his women to be of younger age. Some of them are given below:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

Like Ella Ross who was just 21 years old when Scott started dating her. The other women Scott Disick dated are Bella Bross, Bella Thorne, Lindsay Vrckovnik and Christine Burke. They all have a thing in common and that is, they all were of a very younger age when they started dating much older Scott Disick.

12. Bella Bonus:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

Apparently, Scott als0 have feelings for Bella Bonus who was only 20 years old when she started dating Scott Disick. Bella said about their relationship, “Scott and I have said I love you to each other and we spend so much time together.”

11. Christine Burke:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

When Christine Burke started dating Scott Disick, she was also only 20 years old. She was just a high school graduate at that time.

10. Bella Throne:

Image Credits: Celebuzz

Scott Disick also hooked up the Bella Throne. A very famous Disney star. She was just 19 years old when her pictures with Scott went viral.

9. Lindsay Vrckovnik:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

Lindsay Vrckovnik, an 18-year-old model was seen with Scott Disick. She is not a graduate yet. Currently, she is studying fashion in New York City. Whether Scott will be there at the Graduate’s Ball or not, that would an interesting thing to see.

8. Adrenaline Rush:

Image Credits: Notey

Scott Disick really likes to have adrenaline rush while being on a date. Like in the picture below he can be seen jet skiing with Sofia Riche. He is one of those guys who get bored of everything very quickly, so he likes to do the girls who are up for doing anything.

7. Should Rock A Swimsuit:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

The reason why Scott Disick likes to take his dates to the places which are closer to the beach is hidden from no one. He actually loves his women in swimsuits.

11 Things Men Pay Attention To But You Don’t

6. Modeling Career Like Emma Blanchard:

Image Credits: RadarOnline

Scott Disick is obsessed with models of young age. And Emma Blanchard is just one of them. Both of them were seen partying together in Hamptons.

5. Dated And Dropped:

Image Credits: Hollywood Life

Scott Disick and Chloe Bartoli were head over heels for each other at one point of time. Chloe is a stylist. She has worked with many big stars which include Jared Leto. He was seen hanging out with Bella Throne in a pool one day and then he was seen with Chloe in the same pool later.

4. Lina Sandberg:

Image Credits: Hollywood Life
Lina Sandberg, a Swedish model was also dumped by Scott Disick. Scott dropped her because she was trying to show that there was something very serious going on between the two.

3. Matching Outfits:

Image Credits: Hollywood Life
Scott Disick loves to wear matching clothes with his women. Like here he was seen being all coordinated with Kourtney Kardashian.

2. Ella Ross:

Image Credits: Hollywood Life
Ella Ross will always be remembered for playing the dress coordination thing with Scott Disick. Both of them wore matching gear with simple shits, light jeans, and white plain sneakers.

1. Looks Alike To Kendal Jenner:

Image Credits: Hollywood Life
Almost all the girls Scott Disick has dated all these years, somehow resemble Kendal Jenner. Like Christine Burke and Bella Banos. Both of them resemble Kendal Jenner quite a lot.

Liked This? Read This! 15 Loving Texts That Are Sent by the Best Fathers in the World

Article By: Born Realist

The post These 14 Pics Prove That All The Women Scott Disick Has Dated Have Something In Common appeared first on Born Realist.

Source – bornrealist.com

Tom Marino: Controversial Trump drug czar pick withdraws

US President Donald Trump says his drug czar nominee has withdrawn, after he reportedly helped neuter government attempts to tackle the opioid crisis.

Pennsylvania congressman Tom Marino pushed a bill that reportedly stripped a federal agency of the ability to freeze suspicious painkiller shipments.

Opioid addiction has been described as America's biggest public health crisis since HIV/Aids spread in the 1980s.

Experts say the painkillers could kill 500,000 Americans in the next decade.

Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning: "Rep Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar.

"Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!"

Trump's troublesome nominees

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter

It's not easy being a Donald Trump political appointee.

Some never make it into office. Labour Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, for instance, backed out after facing questions about how he managed his fast-food empire and his personal finances. The president has twice tried to name an Army secretary, only to have his picks withdrawn.

Those who do land a job haven't had an easy time of it, either. Tom Price is done as health and human services secretary, the victim of a penchant for pricy air travel. Several other high-level officials – Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, environmental boss Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – have been bedevilled by their own ethical concerns.

Now Tom Marino is gone before he ever arrived, thanks to too-cozy ties to a drug industry he might have to regulate.

Mr Trump swept into Washington as an outsider, never fully embraced by A-list political players. He rewarded many loyalists with administration positions who were unused to the glare of the public spotlight.

When the beam focused, some have wilted and others have flat-out melted.

Follow @awzurcher

The nominee's exit came a day after Mr Trump was pressed about allegations surrounding Mr Marino, as detailed in an expose by the Washington Post and CBS News' 60 Minutes programme.

Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said on Tuesday he "was very concerned" about the 2016 law co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania congressman.

The Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act reportedly neutered federal efforts to stop opioid manufacturers flooding the market with the addictive painkillers.

Mr Marino and fellow Republican lawmaker, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, also reportedly helped force out a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official who was taking on the drug firms.

Both Mr Marino and Ms Blackburn's home states have been ravaged by deadly overdoses from the opioid epidemic.

Mr Rosenstein, whose department oversees the DEA, was asked on Tuesday whether the legislation should be repealed.

"We're going to review it," he said. "I'm not prepared to answer that question right now but we are going to look into those issues."

Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer said nominating Mr Marino to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy was "like putting the wolf in charge of the henhouse".

Other Democratic lawmakers were also quick to criticise the now-withdrawn nominee.

Skip Twitter post by @SenGillibrand

As Tom Marino withdraws his nomination to be drug czar, perhaps the president should stop nominating industry shills altogether.

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) October 17, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @SenGillibrand

Skip Twitter post by @SenatorHassan

.@POTUS must quickly nominate a drug czar who is not beholden to the pharmaceutical industry & is serious about combating the opioid crisis. https://t.co/SFRRauQEi1

— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) October 17, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @SenatorHassan

Ms Blackburn reportedly received $120,000 (£90,000) in campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies.

She is now facing the political fallout in her campaign for a Senate seat in Tennessee.

Mr Trump said on Monday he would formally declare a national opioid emergency next week, as he pledged to do more than two months ago.

More on the US opioid crisis

• Five ways to tackle the US drug epidemic

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Source – bbc.com

Kirkuk: Iraqi forces seize largest oilfields near city

Iraqi government forces have taken control of the two largest oilfields near the disputed city of Kirkuk after Kurdish forces left the area.

Iraqi troops began a takeover of Kirkuk on Monday.

The actions come three weeks after a Kurdish referendum on independence, which was declared illegitimate by the central Iraqi government.

Voters in the Kurdish autonomous region and Kurdish-held areas overwhelmingly backed secession.

On Tuesday, Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani released a statement calling for peace and pledging to keep working towards independence.

"The loud voices you raised for the independence of Kurdistan, which you sent to all nations and world countries, will not be wasted now or ever," he said, according to Irbil-based Rudaw news site.

He also blamed the loss of Kirkuk on internal disputes between Kurdish politicians.

• Kirkuk: Iraq's war within a war
• US urges calm as Kirkuk crisis escalates
• Kirkuk residents stuck in the middle
• Independence: What is at stake?

The speed with which Iraqi forces reached the centre of Kirkuk has led the two main armed Kurdish parties to accuse each other of "betrayal".

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the latest operation was necessary to "protect the unity of the country", having previously denounced the referendum as unconstitutional.

A sudden switch

By Orla Guerin, BBC News, Kirkuk

A large statute of a Peshmerga fighter still looms over the entrance to Kirkuk, but otherwise there's little sign left of Kurdish control.

Iraqi forces are now firmly in command, manning new checkpoints on the road to the city.

Skip Twitter post by @OrlaGuerin

In the shadow of #Peshmerga statue. the exodus from #Kirkuk.
Feels like entire city is leaving pic.twitter.com/fNRL3l0GsY

— Orla Guerin (@OrlaGuerin) October 16, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @OrlaGuerin

The city was peaceful but Kurdish areas looked like a ghost town, with shops and homes sealed shut. The thousands who fled the Iraqi advance have not rushed back.

The few people we found on the streets spoke of uncertainty, and loss.

Some were angry at Peshmerga fighters for not defending the city. Others blamed the Kurdish leader, Massoud Barzani, for triggering the Iraqi takeover with last month's independence vote.

A large poster of President Barzani has been damaged by fire. Locals told us Shia militia, officially controlled by Baghdad, set it alight when they entered the city. The burnt portrait is a potent symbol of his loss of authority here.

Why is Kirkuk at the heart of this crisis?

Kirkuk is an oil-rich province and its oilfields are vital to the Kurdish economy. It lies outside the official Kurdistan region and is claimed by both the Kurds and the central government. It is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its provincial capital also has large Arab and Turkmen populations.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of the province in 2014, when Islamic State (IS) group militants swept across northern Iraq and the Iraqi army collapsed.

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• Why don't Kurds have a state?
• Iraqi Kurdistan profile
• Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence
• Sykes-Picot: The map that spawned a century of resentment

On Tuesday, Iraqi forces captured the Bai Hassan and Avana oilfields run by state-owned North Oil Company, north of Kirkuk.

A day earlier, troops had captured other key military bases and other oilfields, as well as the governor's office. Forces pulled down the Kurdish flag, which had been flying alongside the Iraqi national flag, reports said.

Which areas are affected?

Kurdish forces have also left an area on the border with Iran, reports say.

Iraqi troops are also preparing to take control of the Khanaqin area, where a small oilfield is located, security sources were quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

Meanwhile, a Yazidi militia retook the town of Sinjar, in the northern Nineveh province, without violence.

Peshmerga forces had established control over Sinjar while battling IS. The town was the site of one of the group's worst atrocities, when thousands of Yazidis were killed and enslaved after the jihadists seized control in 2014.

Territorial control before 16 Oct 2017

The United States said it was "very concerned" by reports of violence around Kirkuk and urged "calm".

The Peshmerga General Command, which is led by President Massoud Barzani of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), accused officials from the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of aiding "the plot against the people of Kurdistan".

The PUK denied being part of ordering any withdrawal, saying dozens of their fighters had been killed and hurt, but noted "not even one KDP Peshmerga has been martyred as of yet in the fighting in Kirkuk".

Source – bbc.com

Senator John McCain lambasts 'spurious nationalism'

US Senator John McCain has pilloried "half-baked, spurious nationalism" in an impassioned speech seen as an attack on President Donald Trump.

The Arizona senator warned against the US surrendering its leadership in the international community.

Mr McCain – who was diagnosed with brain cancer in July – spoke in Philadelphia as he accepted the Liberty Medal.

President Trump issued a warning shot to Mr McCain.

The Liberty Medal is an award recognising leadership in pursuit of freedom whose previous recipients have included Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Muhammad Ali and Tony Blair.

Mr McCain was applauded as he said on Monday at the National Constitution Center: "To fear the world we have organised and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of earth for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

"We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil," he continued.

"We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did."

Liberated from ballot box backlash

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

John McCain, in the twilight of a career in public service that spans four decades, is telling America how he really feels. He's not happy about what Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party – and the nation.

This isn't the first time Mr McCain has criticised the president, but these are some of his most direct comments – ones offered after the senator matched words with actions, voting twice against healthcare reform bills the president was pushing.

Just last week another Republican senator, Bob Corker, verbally sparred with the president. Like Mr McCain, Mr Corker – who recently announced his retirement – has probably faced voters for the last time. Both are liberated from any ballot-box backlash from angry Trump supporters.

Their criticisms will no doubt sting the president. Until Republican politicians in power – and those who want to stay there – join the public critiques, however, these swipes, no matter how direct, may have little lasting significance.

Follow @awzurcher

He added: "We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don't.

"We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn't deserve to."

Mr McCain was presented with the medal by former US Vice-President Joe Biden, chairman of the Constitution Center, a non-profit institution devoted to the US founding charter.

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Mr Biden's eldest son died from the same type of cancer Mr McCain now has.

The former US vice-president praised the "courage and loyalty" of his former colleague and ex-Navy pilot, who was tortured in a North Vietnamese prison.

The six-term Arizona senator recently opposed the Trump-backed Republican attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare, the controversial healthcare law.

According to political website Axios, the US president mocked Mr McCain's thumbs-down gesture as he rejected one of the bills.

Mr McCain has limited mobility of his arms as a result of his injuries from being shot down and held as a prisoner of war.

During his presidential campaign, Mr Trump was criticised when he said Mr McCain was not a war hero, adding: "I like people who weren't captured."

Source – bbc.com

Brazil's Batista brothers face insider trading trial

A federal court in Brazil has confirmed that brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, who are the controlling shareholders in Brazil's largest meatpacking firm JBS, will face trial for alleged insider trading.

They are accused of selling JBS shares at top prices in the weeks before revealing damaging information about their company's bribery scheme.

Their revelations caused stocks to plummet.

Both are already in detention.

• Glossary of Brazil corruption

Prosecutors say the two tycoons saved $44m (£33m) by selling the shares before entering into a plea deal with investigators.

As part of their plea bargain, they revealed information about how they bribed high-ranking officials, fully knowing that the revelations would cause their company's shares to tumble.

The day following the Batista brothers' revelations, the firm's stock plunged more than 10% at the start of trading.

The fall was so drastic that share trading on the Brazilian stock market was briefly suspended.

The most explosive material Joesley Batista produced was a secret recording he had made of President Michel Temer, in which the president apparently admitted paying hush money to an influential politician.

President Temer faced impeachment proceedings over Mr Batista's allegations. But a majority of lawmakers in the lower house of Congress voted in August against a proposal to suspend him and allow him to be tried by the Supreme Court for corruption.

While the plea deal offered them immunity from prosecution on corruption charges, Joesley and Wesley Batista were arrested in September for alleged insider trading.

Source – bbc.com

'First 5G mobile net connection' claimed by Qualcomm

Qualcomm has demonstrated mobile internet speeds of 1Gbps using a 5G smartphone chip.

The chipset manufacturer claims this is the first working 5G data connection on a mobile device.

The fifth generation of the mobile network does not yet exist, but it promises faster data speeds and more bandwidth to carry more web traffic.

Qualcomm is describing the demonstration as a "major milestone", but one expert is playing it down.

1Gbps is equivalent to 1,000Mbps, and this speed would enable you to download a one-hour TV programme in HD from BBC iPlayer in less than six seconds.

"It's not a big deal," Prof William Webb, a independent consultant and author of the book The 5G Myth: When vision decoupled from reality, told the BBC.

"5G is not yet clearly defined, they've just postulated what they think it will look like.

"It's not 5G in its final form, so it's premature to say it's a 5G demonstration."

Prof Webb added that speeds higher than 1Gbps were already achievable on 4G.

For example, Huawei's Kirin 970 chipset offered mobile speeds of up to 1.2Gbps when used with compatible network equipment.

Qualcomm said the demonstration, at its laboratories in San Diego, had used its first dedicated 5G chip, the Snapdragon X50 NR modem chipset, on the 28GHz millimetre wave spectrum band.

"This demonstration… was only the first data connection on this 5G mode," said a spokesman for the firm.

"When it is finished and ready to ship to smartphone makers, it will be capable of 5Gbps speed, which no 4G LTE chip currently available can support.

"What our announcement represents is the first steps we are taking to counter sceptics like Prof Webb: yes, millimetre wave 5G is a viable technology for mobile devices and networks, and our achievement proves the steady progress we are making."

What is 5G?

Today's 4G mobile networks currently make use of the sub-6GHz frequencies, but these are now heavily crowded.

Mobile operators are running out of capacity to carry the huge amounts of web traffic generated by consumers on billions of mobile devices, in addition to data being sent from internet-enabled sensors in smart devices.

The specifications for 5G have not yet been set out by the global mobile standards body, 3GPP, so various parts of the industry are trying different technologies, with the hope that 5G will be ready by 2019.

Some of the technologies involve optimising the current 4G network by making the transit of data more efficient, in order to offer greater capacity and higher speeds.

But there are also plans to make use of the currently unused 28GHz and 39GHz millimetre wave spectrum bands, which are found in the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared waves.

Millimetre waves offer far more bandwidth than the sub-6GHz frequencies, but the radio signal deteriorates if data is transmitted over more than a few kilometres.

"There are many different definitions of 5G, some of which could be implemented by 2019, and those that wouldn't be, such as millimetre wave, which will probably take a lot longer," said Prof Webb.

Qualcomm takes issue with this analysis, saying that it aims to have millimetre wave-capable smartphones in users' hands before July 2019, when it expects the first compatible networks to have become available.

Source – bbc.com