| Obama on ISIL: ‘We don’t have a strategy yet’ Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:43 PM PDT  Declaring "we don't have a strategy yet," President Obama poured cold water Thursday on talk that he was poised to order imminent U.S. military strikes on ISIL fighters in Syria.
|
| Army wives urge Russia to come clean on soldiers in Ukraine Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:45 PM PDT  Several dozen women gathered outside a military base in central Russia on Thursday to demand that commanders come clean about the whereabouts of their husbands after reports of secret funerals for soldiers covertly sent to Ukraine. The women -- mostly in their 20s, a few with small children -- huddled outside a base that houses paratroopers in Kostroma, around 300 kilometres (200 miles) north of Moscow. Some 350 soldiers from the city were this month sent on military drills to the border with Ukraine and then went incommunicado, said one of the women, 26-year-old Valeria Sokolova. Commanders from the base have told her several have returned dead, she said, and around 15 wounded soldiers were also flown back this week.
|
| UN: Ebola disease caseload could reach 20,000 Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:22 PM PDT  The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is accelerating and could grow six times larger to infect as many as 20,000 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The U.N. health agency unveiled a new road map for containing the virus, and scientists are fast-tracking efforts to find a treatment or vaccine.
|
| Missouri police sued for $40M over Ferguson actions Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:06 PM PDT  A group of people caught up in unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after a white officer killed a black teenager, sued local officials on Thursday, alleging civil rights violations through arrests and police assaults with rubber bullets and tear gas. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, says law enforcement met a broad public outcry over the Aug. 9 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown with "militaristic displays of force and weaponry," (and) engaged U.S. Named as defendants are the city of Ferguson, St. Louis County, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Delmar, Ferguson police officer Justin Cosmo, and other unnamed police officers from Ferguson and St. Louis County.
|
| Stewart to return to competition after fatal crash Posted:  Tony Stewart is expected to return to Sprint Cup competition Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ending a three-race hiatus taken after he struck and killed a fellow driver during a dirt-track race.
|
| Body found in Jerusalem is U.S. student Aaron Sofer: police Posted: 28 Aug 2014 03:02 PM PDT  Israeli police said on Thursday they had found the body of a 23-year-old American student who went missing last week near a forest in Jerusalem and that they did not suspect a criminal motive. Aaron Sofer, a Jewish seminary student from New Jersey, vanished last Friday while walking in woods not far from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. His body was found earlier on Thursday. "Following a forensic examination, the body ... was identified as that of missing person Aaron Sofer.
|
| Senator: Time to call eastern clashes 'war' Posted: 28 Aug 2014 12:51 PM PDT  It's time to call Russia-Ukraine conflict a "war," Moscow actions an "invasion," Dem says.
|
| Obama: 'We will protect American personnel in Iraq' Posted: 28 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT  Obama announced that he has requested military options for Islamic State.
|
| Body found in search for U.S. student Posted: 28 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT  Israel: Search for Aaron Sofer, missing since last week, leads to body in Jerusalem.
|
| U.S.: Inaction in Ukraine 'unacceptable' Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:22 PM PDT  The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the crisis in Ukraine.
|
| 4 killed in New Mexico medical flight crash Posted: 28 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — An air ambulance carrying a cancer patient to Phoenix crashed shortly after taking off from a southern New Mexico airport, killing all four people aboard, authorities said Thursday.
|
| U.S. to begin safety testing Ebola vaccine Posted: 28 Aug 2014 09:12 AM PDT  Federal researchers next week will start testing humans with an experimental vaccine to prevent the deadly Ebola virus.
|
| Kiev to reinstate military draft Posted: 28 Aug 2014 10:50 AM PDT  Ukraine announced on Thursday that it will return to mandatory conscription in the coming months as its troops battle pro-Russian insurgents in the east. "The National Security and Defence Council has decided to restart conscription in the fall (autumn)," Mykhailo Koval, deputy head of the council, said after an emergency meeting chaired by President Petro Poroshenko. Ukraine's government decided last year to switch to a contract-based professional army, ending Soviet-style bi-annual drafts in the spring and fall for men between 18 and 25.
|
| Minneapolis has become recruiting ground for Islamic extremists Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:21 PM PDT  Slain ISIS fighter Douglas McCain was one of many who have joined Islamic fighters, and now extremists are trying to lure young women
|
| Islamic State executes more than 160 Syrian troops Posted: 28 Aug 2014 12:26 PM PDT  More than 160 Syrians killed in the latest in a string of brutal attacks by the militants.
|
| Joan Rivers hospitalized after cardiac arrest Posted:  Joan Rivers has been rushed to a New York City hospital in critical condition after an emergency call that she was in cardiac arrest, according to a law enforcement source.
|
| Matt Bai: Obama’s anti-doctrine doctrine Posted: 28 Aug 2014 01:49 AM PDT  Should such a thing as a foreign policy even exist?
|
| Over 100 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine Posted: 28 Aug 2014 09:15 AM PDT  More than 100 Russian soldiers were killed in eastern Ukraine in a battle this month while helping pro-Russian separatists fight Ukrainian troops, two members of the Russian presidential human rights council said on Thursday, citing accounts of eye-witness and relatives of the dead. Ella Polyakova and Sergei Krivenko, both members of the council, said around 300 people were also injured in the violence on Aug. 13 near the town of Snizhnye in Donetsk Province, when a column of trucks full of ammunition they were driving was hit by a sustained volley of Grad missiles. "A column of Russian soldiers was attacked by Grad rockets and more 100 people died. Polyakova said she had also been given the same figure, of more than 100, for the number of Russian soldiers killed in the attack.
|
| US experiences unexpected economic upswing Posted: 28 Aug 2014 10:49 AM PDT  Gross domestic product expanded at a 4.2% annual rate.
|
| More bad news for Malaysia Airlines Posted: 28 Aug 2014 10:27 AM PDT  Crisis-stricken Malaysia Airlines said Thursday its second-quarter loss nearly doubled and forecast more red ink in the second half of the year, as two crippling air disasters sent passenger bookings tumbling. The latest results mark the sixth straight quarterly loss for Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which has struggled to stay competitive and is now in dire financial straits following the loss of MH370 and the July 18 shooting down over Ukraine of flight MH17, which killed all 298 aboard that plane. "The full financial impact of the double tragedies of MH370 and MH17 is expected to hit Malaysia Airlines in the second half of the year, where we saw a sharp decline in average weekly bookings by 33 percent immediately after the MH17 incident, with numerous flights cancelled," it said. MAS has bled money for years, losing a combined $1.3 billion over the past three calendar years before 2014, as intensifying competition from more nimble rivals like Malaysia's fast-growing budget carrier AirAsia have lured away travellers with their rock-bottom pricing.
|
| Tsarnaev sister arrested over bomb threat Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:46 PM PDT  The sister of the accused Boston Marathon bombers was arrested in New York City for threatening a woman over the phone, saying she could "put a bomb on you," police said on Wednesday. Aliana Tsarnaev, 23, sister of Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was facing charges of aggravated harassment, a New York City Police Department spokesman said. Tsarnaev, of North Bergen, New Jersey, was accused of calling a woman in New York City's Harlem neighborhood and telling her "I have people that can go over there and put a bomb on you," the spokesman said. Her brothers are accused of killing three people and wounding more than 260 after detonating pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.
|
| Jolie and Pitt marry Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:17 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The wait is finally over: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Hollywood's reigning royal couple, have tied the knot.
|
| Australia says MH370 'may have turned south earlier than thought' Posted: 28 Aug 2014 01:43 AM PDT  The hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will focus on the southern part of the existing search zone after a new clue to the plane's possible location emerged, Australia said on Thursday. Fresh information suggested the jet "may have turned south" earlier than thought, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said. "The search area remains the same, but some of the information that we now have suggests to us that areas a little further to the south -- within the search area, but a little further to the south -- are of particular interest and priority in the search area," he said. His comments came as Australia and Malaysia inked a memorandum of understanding in Canberra over the next phase of the hunt for the plane, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
|
| Ukraine accuses Russia of launching invasion Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:49 PM PDT  Poroshenko says the conflict is worsening as Russian-backed separatists keep up offense.
|
| Ukraine President: Russian troops are in Ukraine Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:34 AM PDT  Ukrainian President Poroshenko said on Thursday Russian forces had been "brought into Ukraine" and he called an urgent meeting of Ukraine's security and defense council to decide the next steps to take in the crisis. "I made the decision to cancel a working visit to the Republic of Turkey in connection with the rapidly deteriorating situation in Donetsk region, in particular in Amvrosiyivka and Starobesheve, as Russian troops have actually been brought into Ukraine," he said in a statement on the presidential website.
|
| Group trips across Grand Canyon will need permit Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:54 PM PDT  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Groups of hikers and runners who want to do grueling excursions across the Grand Canyon will soon need a permit — a move officials say will cut back on overcrowding, litter and safety issues at the popular tourist attraction in Arizona.
|
| Libya's interim government resigns under pressure Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:52 PM PDT  Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - Libya's toothless interim government, led by prime minister Abdullah al-Thani, announced late Thursday it had tendered its resignation to the elected parliament, days after a rival Islamist administration was created.
|
| Cornerspotter: Hint: The Arts Thrive Now on This Busy Boulevard Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:51 PM PDT  Welcome to Cornerspotter, a weekly Curbed game in which you try to identify the location and/or identity of a particular building or streetscape in a historic photograph. Impress us and your fellow Curbed readers with your uncanny insight into Los...
|
| Curbed Inside: Take a Tour Through Ktown's New The Vermont Rental Towers Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:51 PM PDT  Koreatown's The Vermont is big, it's expensive, and it's called itself the "largest residential project under construction since the recession began in 2008." If the idea is to make a splash, to shout, "Ktown is coming up!" then it's...
|
| Flipping Out: At Long Last, a Noe Valley Flip That Doesn't Completely Suck Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:49 PM PDT  Just under a year ago, a Noe Valley Mediterranean built in the 1930s sold for $1.4 million. The house had lovely cathedral windows but needed some updates to areas such as the bathrooms, which sported a color scheme reminiscent...
|
| Google spreads its wings, moving into drone deliveries Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:49 PM PDT  Amazon isn't the only tech giant experimenting with drones. The search company has unveiled Project Wing, which is focusing its efforts on disaster relief, at least for now.>
|
| Eater Inside: BTU Brasserie Now Pouring, Stir-Frying in Northeast Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:48 PM PDT  Who says Peking duck must be accompanied by Tsingtao? BTU Brasserie, the hybrid brewery and Chinese restaurant, is now officially open in the NE Sandy space once home to Haidu Seafood. Burnside...
|
| Google tests using drones to deliver goods Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:47 PM PDT  Google on Thursday said it is testing using drones to deliver items bought online, putting its own spin on similar efforts by Internet retail titan Amazon.com. Two years of research into what Google referred to as "Project Wing" was capped this month with test flights delivering candy, water, medicine, dog treats and other items to two farmers in Queensland, Australia. "Self-flying vehicles could open up entirely new approaches to moving goods," California-based Google said in a blog post disclosing the project. Project Wing drones were described as having more in common with Google's self-driving car than remote-controlled aircraft used by hobbyists.
|
| U.S. officials reach deal with Pennsylvania on Medicaid Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:46 PM PDT  Federal officials have reached an agreement with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett over his plan to use federal funds to pay for private health insurance coverage for up to 600,000 residents, the governor said on Thursday. The deal highlights a growing number of Republican governors who are finding ways to accept money under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, despite political opposition that has so far prevented nearly half of U.S. Medicaid expansion under Obamacare has become a tool for political jockeying, with many Republicans loathe to support it. In Pennsylvania, the dispute is partly semantic.
|
| Environmentalists ready to sue over Miami port's deep dredge Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:45 PM PDT  Army Corps of Engineers after researchers found dredging to deepen the port of Miami is burying coral and could destroy the surrounding marine ecosystem for years to come. "All we're asking for is that they follow state and federal law and they're simply not doing that," said Rachel Silverstein, executive director of the Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, a local environmental advocacy group. It is part of nearly $2 billion of infrastructure work that the port hopes will attract the larger cargo ships expected to pass through the expanded Panama Canal when it is completed. "The situation is worsened by the fact that the (ocean floor) is now covered with a layer of sediment that will prohibit (future coral) settlement and attachment," the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) wrote earlier this month in a letter to the Army Corps.Coral is a stationary animal that slowly grows for decades on sea floors and is a key component of ocean habitats. A spokeswoman for the Army Corps, Susan Jackson, told Reuters by email that the Corps is finalizing its response to the FDEP and plans to submit it early next week.Environmental groups who sought to block the dredge during its planning phase sent a warning letter to the Army Corps in July asking them to fix the issues.
|
| Official: Bidders compete for Uruguay pot business Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:45 PM PDT  MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's new market for legalized marijuana has attracted at least 20 companies bidding for the right to supply pot to the country's pharmacies, a government official said Thursday.
|
| Doubts surround plane in Brazil campaign Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:42 PM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Doubts surrounding the legality of the purchase of a small private plane used by the Brazilian Socialist Party have placed the campaign of presidential hopeful Marina Silva under scrutiny this week.
|
| Pro-Scottish independence side gaining ground: poll Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:40 PM PDT  Support for Scottish independence appears to be gaining ground three weeks ahead of the historic referendum, according to a poll published on Friday. The Survation survey found 47 percent of respondents would vote "Yes" to independence, compared to 53 percent who would vote "No", excluding people who were undecided. "Yes" campaign leader and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond was widely seen to have won the debate against "No" campaign leader Alistair Darling. The survey was of 1,001 people of voting age, and found 11 percent of respondents said they remained undecided, a drop of 2 percent from the previous poll.
|
| Man shot, robbed of $70,000 in supermarket parking lot Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:39 PM PDT  Police say a man was shot and robbed of $70,000 in the parking lot of a supermarket in Northeast Philadelphia.
|
| Obama on IS in Syria: 'We don't have a strategy yet' Posted: 28 Aug 2014 04:38 PM PDT  President Barack Obama admitted Thursday he did not yet have a strategy to combat the Islamic State in Syria, quelling speculation he would imminently unleash the US military against the group in the civil-war-torn country. The president stressed though that he was developing a broad and comprehensive plan which would involve military, diplomatic and regional efforts designed to defeat IS for good, in both Syria and Iraq, not just in the short term. Obama also said that Washington did not need to choose to side with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to combat the Islamic State, which exploited a power vacuum in the middle of Syria's vicious turmoil and last week brutally executed US journalist James Foley.
|
