Erdogan Says Riyadh Planned Killing | China Unveils Longest Sea Bridge

In an address today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the Saudi government for orchestrating the “brutal” murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared this month inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. Erdogan’s comments came after the White House sent CIA Director Gina Haspel to Turkey to help investigate the case and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to Riyadh to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Erdogan also called on the Saudi government — which has claimed Khashoggi’s killing was accidental — to extradite 18 suspects Turkish authorities believe are responsible for his death.

Behold! Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over today’s opening of a 34-mile bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland city of Zhuhai in a plan to merge 11 southern cities into a single economic powerhouse. The six-lane structure, which also includes a section of undersea tunnel to allow shipping to the Pearl River delta, will link 70 million people across a region boasting a combined annual GDP of $1.51 trillion. The $20 billion project, which took a decade to complete, aims to create a megalopolis dubbed the “Greater Bay Area.”

Federal and local police responded yesterday to reports of a suspicious package found at the Westchester County home of the Hungarian-born billionaire philanthropist, where authorities say they “proactively detonated” the device. Soros, a high-profile supporter of the Democratic Party who’s bankrolled progressive causes around the world for years, has become a frequent target for far-right groups and anti-Semitic smears casting him as a shadowy political influencer. Soros was reportedly not home at the time and has not commented on the incident.

At ease. In a sign of warming relations between the adversaries, North and South Korea agreed yesterday to remove guns and guard posts from the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom, where troops from both sides have faced off for decades. The disarmament of the so-called “truce village” — to be verified by both countries as well as the U.S.-led United Nations Command — is expected to be completed within the next two days. Earlier this month the two sides began clearing 800,000 land mines from the area.

Know This: Responding to speculation that his administration would roll back federal protections for transgender citizens, President Donald Trump said yesterday, “I’m protecting everybody.” The U.S. military dispatched two warships through the Taiwan Strait in a show of support for the island. And archaeologists examining the Black Sea have discovered what they claim to be the world’s oldest intact shipwreck.

Read This: Despite their country’s vast stretches of natural beauty, Canadians are finding themselves spending more time indoors — even though experts say contact with nature is as important as ever.

We’re Hiring: OZY is looking for a talented Social Media Manager to oversee our social strategy on all platforms. Could this be you? Check out the job description for more details … and find all our open jobs right here.

A court in the southern German town of Ravensburg sentenced the 54-year-old yesterday for putting five jars of tainted baby food on supermarket shelves in an attempt to blackmail baby food companies into paying him around $13.5 million. Besides five counts of attempted murder, the man was also convicted of extortion. He claimed to suffer from a personality disorder and said he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, but was ruled responsible by a psychiatrist.

During a time when medical systems are stretched by aging populations, 5G technology would allow a host of emergency service innovations to flourish. For example, drones could deliver defibrillators or augmented reality glasses might connect first responders with medical specialists around the world. Although these pilot programs are possible with slower connections, speed and reliability are critical when lives are at stake — which is why medical practitioners are probably looking forward to a full-scale 5G rollout by 2020.

Join in. While research has shown that exercise can effectively fight panic attacks as well as mood and sleep disorders, a recent study reveals that organized sports help even more: According to survey data from the Centers for Disease Control on 1.2 million adults, those who exercised had fewer days of negative mental health, and those who played team sports reported the fewest. Experts believe such group activities may be more beneficial because they add an element of accountability and commitment while providing much-needed social support.

After critics cited evidence of the streaming service using different thumbnails to promote the same films to White and Black viewers, Netflix responded that it does not collect demographic data on subscribers. A Black customer tweeted an image for the film Like Father prominently showing two Black actors, Leonard Ouzts and Blaire Brooks, despite their supporting roles, while a promo seen by a White subscriber featured the film’s White leads, Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer. Netflix claims it personalizes its thumbnails based solely on the viewing history of subscribers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that over the past four years, 491 Twitter accounts linked to the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency (IRA) sent more than 12,000 tweets about the NFL or the national anthem. According to Clemson University researchers, the majority of the tweets criticized protests and the league, with a spike in posts during key moments of public debate. And although some trolls have been blocked, researchers identified other IRA-linked accounts continuing to weigh in on issues like Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign.