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Ex-US VP Biden expands lead in US Democratic nomination race: new poll

NEW YORK, Oct 19 (APP): Former Vice President Joe Biden’s support jumped five points this month in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination this month, slightly extending his lead over Senator Bernie Sanders, a liberal candidate, in a new poll released Friday.

The Hill-HarrisX poll showed that 34 percent of likely Democratic primary voters back Biden, marking a 14-point lead over Sanders, as more than a dozen vie for the part’s nomination to challenge President Donal Trump, a Republican, in 2020 presidential race .

Arctic LNG-2 may be one of the first to claim investment from National Wealth Fund

WASHINGTON, October 19. /TASS/: The Arctic LNG-2 project may be one of the first to qualify for investments from the National Wealth Fund, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov said on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

"In theory, Arctic LNG-2 will be one of the first who can qualify (for investment from National Wealth Fund - TASS) based on its quality," Siluanov said.

According to him, both mechanisms for transferring funds through VEB and through "direct investment" are possible.

Russian government looks for compromise on Sberbank dividends

WASHINGTON, October 19. /TASS/: The Russian Government is looking for a solution on Sberbank dividends that would suit the Central Bank and not violate the interests of the budget, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov said on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

McConnell slams Syria withdrawal as scattered fighting flares

19 October 2019; AFP: US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has attacked President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria as "a strategic nightmare" as scattered fighting flared in the north of the country despite a ceasefire deal.

Turkey had agreed to suspend its Syria offensive for five days but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday he would resume a full-scale operation against Kurdish forces if they do not withdraw from a border "safe zone."

Deep-sea explorers find Japanese ship that sank during WWII

MIDWAY ATOLL, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (AP) — Deep-sea explorers scouring the world’s oceans for sunken World War II ships are focusing in on debris fields deep in the Pacific, in an area where one of the most decisive battles of the time took place.

Hundreds of miles off Midway Atoll, nearly halfway between the United States and Japan, a research vessel is launching underwater robots miles into the abyss to look for warships from the famed Battle of Midway.

Trump outstripping Obama on pace of executive orders

WASHINGTON (AP) — It wasn’t too long ago that Donald Trump derided presidential executive orders as “power grabs” and a “basic disaster.”

He’s switched sides in a big way: In each year of his presidency, he has issued more executive orders than did former President Barack Obama during the same time span. He surpassed Obama’s third-year total just recently.

Back in 2012, Trump had tweeted: “Why Is @BarackObama constantly issuing executive orders that are major power grabs of authority?”

That criticism continued once he entered the presidential race.

Democratic voters concentrate on candidates, not impeachment

AMES, Iowa (AP) — In the liberal strongholds of Des Moines’ west side and the Iowa State University campus in Ames, not once was South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg asked by voters recently about the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

It’s not that the investigation into the president’s request for foreign help in his reelection effort is an afterthought for Democrats whose votes in Iowa will start the nominating process. Quite the opposite.

Some worries about nuclear weapons at Turkey base

WASHINGTON (AP) — Frayed U.S. relations with Turkey over its incursion in Syria raise a sensitive question rarely discussed in public: Should the United States remove the nuclear bombs it has long stored at a Turkish air base?

It’s a tricky matter for several reasons, including the fact that by longstanding policy, the U.S. government does not publicly acknowledge locations of nuclear weapons overseas. Still, it is almost an open secret that the U.S. has as many as 50 B-61 bombs stored under heavy guard at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

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