| Trump fumes before Comey testimony: ‘No evidence’ I colluded with Russia Posted: 20 Mar 2017 05:35 AM PDT  Hours before FBI Director James Comey's testimony before Congress on the bureau's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, President Trump took a few swings on Twitter. First, the president pointed out that former National Intelligence Director James Clapper had said in a recent interview that there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia," Trump tweeted.
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| Pope begs God's forgiveness for Church sins in Rwanda genocide Posted: 20 Mar 2017 08:13 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi," the Vatican said in a statement after a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame.
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| U.S. to ban some airline passengers from carrying larger electronics Posted: 20 Mar 2017 04:38 PM PDT ![U.S. to ban some airline passengers from carrying larger electronics]( "U.S. to ban some airline passengers from carrying larger electronics") By David Shepardson and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are planning to ban passengers traveling on certain U.S.-bound foreign airline flights from carrying into the cabin larger electronic devices in response to an unspecified terrorism threat, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. The new rule is expected to be announced as early as Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, the officials said, adding that it had been under consideration since the U.S. government learned of a threat several weeks ago. The officials did not name the other countries.
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| Kidnapping Victim Reveals How a Facebook Video Helped Her Escape Car Trunk Posted: 20 Mar 2017 02:08 PM PDT ![Kidnapping Victim Reveals How a Facebook Video Helped Her Escape Car Trunk]( "Kidnapping Victim Reveals How a Facebook Video Helped Her Escape Car Trunk") Surveillance footage captured Brittany Diggs falling from the trunk and running to safety.
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| Man Burns Down Parents Home, Kills Three Pets While Trying To Exterminate Ants: Officials Posted: 21 Mar 2017 11:22 AM PDT  Devon Doucette, 21, was trying to incinerate the ants with wooden matches when one of them ignited combustible materials, investigators say.
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| TripAdvisor names Bali best global destination for 2017 in Travelers' Choice Awards Posted: 21 Mar 2017 09:11 AM PDT  The Buddhist island has claimed the top spot for the first time in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards, published Tuesday, March 21, crowning the year's best travel destinations.
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| Trump touts poll showing decline in approval rating Posted: 20 Mar 2017 07:12 AM PDT  President Trump punched Monday at one poll of his approval ratings while touting another. But the latter poll, by Fox News, showed him with a steadily declining performance rate.
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| Exclusive: North Korea has no fear of U.S. sanctions move, will pursue nuclear arms - envoy Posted: 21 Mar 2017 03:24 PM PDT ![Exclusive: North Korea has no fear of U.S. sanctions move, will pursue nuclear arms - envoy]( "Exclusive: North Korea has no fear of U.S. sanctions move, will pursue nuclear arms - envoy") By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea has nothing to fear from any U.S. move to broaden sanctions aimed at cutting it off from the global financial system and will pursue "acceleration" of its nuclear and missile programs, a North Korean envoy told Reuters on Tuesday. This includes developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), said Choe Myong Nam, deputy ambassador at the North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva. Reuters, quoting a senior U.S. official in Washington, reported on Monday that the Trump administration is considering sweeping sanctions as part of a broad review of measures to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threat.
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| Thailand's coin-eating turtle dies of intestinal blockage Posted: 21 Mar 2017 08:44 AM PDT  BANGKOK (AP) — Tourists used to toss coins at a green sea turtle that lived in a pond in eastern Thailand, wishing for luck and longevity. But swallowing the shiny tidbits turned out to be a death sentence for the reptile.
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| Sen. Durbin on Gorsuch’s 'frozen trucker' ruling: Temperatures that day were freezing, but ‘not as cold as your dissent’ Posted: 20 Mar 2017 02:21 PM PDT  On Judge Neil Gorsuch's first day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin brought up the case of Alphonse Maddin, a trucker who was fired after his trailer broke down in subzero temperatures. Gorsuch concluded it wasn't illegal for the company to fire him for seeking safety when he began to lose feeling in his body after waiting hours for help. Durbin said that the temperatures the day of the incident were freezing, but "not as cold as your dissent."
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| Legendary tomb of Jesus resurrected Posted: 21 Mar 2017 07:24 AM PDT ![Legendary tomb of Jesus resurrected]( "Legendary tomb of Jesus resurrected") Believed by the devout to house the final resting place of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre will open to the public on Wednesday after nearly a year of restoration. An ongoing dispute between the religious groups controlling the site had brought the burial place, known as the Edicule, to the brink of collapse. "We are at the critical moment for rehabilitating the Edicule," director of the restoration Antonia Moropoulou told National Geographic.
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| Things keep getting worse for Uber as president and mapping VP both just quit Posted: 20 Mar 2017 07:59 AM PDT 
It's safe to say that 2017 hasn't been particularly kind of Uber thus far, with its CEO's public meltdowns, accusations of rampant sexism and harassment at its highest ranks, and reports revealing how the company secretly evaded government oversight. You'd probably think things couldn't get much worse for the company, but you'd be wrong, as today brings with it a pair of high-profile departures that include Uber's VP of mapping and business, as well as president Jeff Jones.
Brian McClendon, the aforementioned VP, has reportedly been planning to depart for some time, and will also remain connected to Uber in an advisory role. Jones, on the other hand, seemingly wants nothing more to do with the company he joined just six months ago, issuing a statement to Recode claiming "the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber." "After we announced our intention to hire a COO, Jeff came to the tough decision that he doesn't see his future at Uber," embattled CEO Travis Kalanick said in a note to Uber employees. "It is unfortunate that this was announced through the press but I thought it was important to send all of you an email before providing comment publicly." Jones was recruited to Uber from Target, and was brought on board to assist Kalanick in managing the company. His departure after less than a year on the job and his thinly veiled jab at Uber's corporate culture as he makes his way out the door is certainly telling.
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| Panetta Wants Trump Apology For Obama Wiretapping Claims Posted: 20 Mar 2017 06:45 AM PDT  President Donald Trump alleged his predecessor bugged Trump Towers during the 2016 election, but he hasn't produced proof.
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| Married Teacher Who Allegedly Had Sexual Relations With 17-Year-Old Student Grins in Mugshot Posted: 21 Mar 2017 03:24 PM PDT  She turned herself in on Monday.
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| Former foes salute Martin McGuinness, IRA man turned peacemaker Posted: 21 Mar 2017 02:23 PM PDT ![Former foes salute Martin McGuinness, IRA man turned peacemaker]( "Former foes salute Martin McGuinness, IRA man turned peacemaker") By Ian Graham and Conor Humphries BELFAST/LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Martin McGuinness, the Irish Republican Army commander who laid down his arms to become a major architect of peace in Northern Ireland, died on Tuesday aged 66, drawing tributes from allies and former enemies alike. The face of Irish Republicanism during some of the worst moments of "The Troubles" that killed more than 3,600 people, McGuinness remained a figure of hate for many pro-British Protestants until his death. "He believed in a shared future, and refused to live in the past, a lesson all of us who remain should learn and live by," former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose hands-on role was central to brokering the 1998 peace accord, said in a statement.
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| Prom Dates Are Randomly Assigned at this High School Posted: 20 Mar 2017 11:05 AM PDT  Typically finding a prom date can be stressful. At this Illinois High School, students are randomly assigned to another prom date so no one is left out.
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| High school rape gets drawn into immigration debate Posted: 21 Mar 2017 04:28 PM PDT ![High school rape gets drawn into immigration debate]( "High school rape gets drawn into immigration debate") As officials reported that one of two students charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in a Maryland high school bathroom entered the United States illegally, the crime became part of a national debate on immigration.
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| AP Exclusive: Orly video shows attacker rushing soldier Posted: 20 Mar 2017 11:02 AM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Video of a suspected Islamic extremist at Paris' Orly Airport shows a soldier caught by surprise when an attacker drops a shopping bag and grabs her from behind.
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| Spider venom may offer hope to stroke victims: scientists Posted: 20 Mar 2017 09:40 PM PDT  A protein in the venom of potentially deadly funnel web spiders could minimise the effects of brain damage after a stroke, researchers in Australia said on Tuesday. Strokes claim six million lives worldwide each year, and five million survivors are left with a permanent disability. Scientists from the University of Queensland and Monash University said spider venom was always a good place to look for proteins to help in medical treatments as they have evolved to target the nervous systems of insects.
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| North Korea One Step Closer Toward ICBM Posted: 20 Mar 2017 06:12 AM PDT  The reclusive nation may be inching closer toward its goal of having intercontinental missile launching capabilities.
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| Photos of the day - March 20, 2017 Posted: 20 Mar 2017 02:10 PM PDT ![Photos of the day - March 20, 2017]( "Photos of the day - March 20, 2017") A bee searches for pollen among cherry blossoms on a sunny spring day in Lausanne, Switzerland; Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington; and, Displaced Iraqi women who fled their homes during a battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, try to get out of a vehicle with their children at a checkpoint, to be transfer to Hammam al-Alil camp, in Mosul, Iraq.
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| Mom Says Her Son, 11, Took His Life After He Was Bullied at School: 'I Can't Cry No More' Posted: 20 Mar 2017 12:52 PM PDT  His mother said students were bullying him to sell drugs.
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| FBI head confirms Russia election probe, says Moscow backed Trump Posted: 20 Mar 2017 05:23 PM PDT ![FBI head confirms Russia election probe, says Moscow backed Trump]( "FBI head confirms Russia election probe, says Moscow backed Trump") By Patricia Zengerle and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed for the first time that the bureau is investigating possible ties between Republican Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia as Moscow sought to influence the 2016 U.S. election. Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, made clear that their investigation of Moscow and November's U.S. elections could last for months. Appearing before a congressional panel, Comey also publicly challenged Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his 2016 campaign headquarters in Manhattan's Trump Tower.
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| Should you install solar panels on your roof? Ask Google Posted: 20 Mar 2017 03:31 AM PDT  In 2015, Google launched Project Sunroof, a map that shows which houses have enough sun exposure for solar panels to be a viable energy source. However, the original map was very limited, covering only the San Francisco Bay Area, Fresno, California and Boston. Now, Google has greatly expanded the project to cover all 50 U.S. states, with a total of 60 million buildings in the database. SEE ALSO: Google pledges $11.5 million to racial justice innovators across the U.S. The project uses imagery from Google Earth and Maps as well as some machine learning magic to get a good idea of how much sunlight each portion of each roof is getting. According to Google, weather patterns, sun positioning changes and possible shade from nearby buildings is taken into account. The result is a map which not only lets home owners easily assess whether they should consider a solar roof, but it also offers a good insight of the country's solar energy potential. Solar potential of Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Image: Google In a blog post last week, Google shared a few interesting data points; for example, the company claims that 79 percent of all rooftops analyzed are "technically viable" for solar. Naturally, in some sunny areas, such as Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, this number grows to over 90 percent. States like Pennsylvania, Maine and Minnesota have just over 60 percent viability, Google says. As for the city with the most solar potential in the U.S., the honor belongs to Houston, Texas, which has an estimated 18,940GWh of rooftop solar generation potential per year. Check out the interactive map, searchable by U.S. zip codes, cities, counties and states, here. WATCH: Access all your cards in one click with this solar-powered smart wallet
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| Canadians cool to migrants: Are Canuck attitudes inching closer to Americans'? Posted: 20 Mar 2017 12:58 PM PDT ![Canadians cool to migrants: Are Canuck attitudes inching closer to Americans'?]( "Canadians cool to migrants: Are Canuck attitudes inching closer to Americans'?") Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has governed on a platform that has garnered international praise by refugee advocates for its welcoming stance. Four out of 10 respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday said they believed those illegally crossing the Canadian-US border would make the country "less safe." Forty-eight percent said they supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally," while 50 percent of Americans support "increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants," according to a US version of the poll conducted the same week. Legal immigration has enjoyed high bipartisan support in Canada for decades.
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| Company: Dakota Access pipeline on track, despite "threats" Posted: 20 Mar 2017 07:34 PM PDT  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The company building the Dakota Access pipeline said Monday that the project remains on track to start moving oil this week despite recent "coordinated physical attacks" along the line.
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| Face recognition flushes out China's toilet paper crooks Posted: 21 Mar 2017 02:41 AM PDT  A years-long crime spree by Chinese toilet paper thieves may have reached the end of its roll after park officials in southern Beijing installed facial recognition technology to flush out bathroom bandits. Park managers at the Temple of Heaven, an expanse of imperial landmarks in the capital, spent three years testing ways to foil the toilet looters, including fingerprinting and laser sensors, before they settled on the new technology, which was introduced over the weekend. Elderly square dancers taking their bathroom breaks on Tuesday were greeted by a robotic voice: "Welcome! Please stand in the recognition zone".
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| Welcoming Spring: It's an international thing Posted: 21 Mar 2017 07:44 AM PDT ![Welcoming Spring: It's an international thing]( "Welcoming Spring: It's an international thing") Spring, marked by the Vernal Equinox on March 20 in the northern hemisphere, ushers in the start of longer days and a promise of warmer weather. Here's a look at how the arrival of the new season is celebrated around the world.
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| Hezbollah commander killed by own men: Israel army chief Posted: 21 Mar 2017 09:46 AM PDT  Israel's military chief said on Tuesday that Hezbollah's military commander in Syria, reported dead last year, was killed by members of his own Lebanese Shiite group. Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, speaking to a security conference, said intelligence had led Israel to the conclusion and matched previous reports. Hezbollah itself has said Mustafa Badreddine, who was on a US terror sanctions blacklist and wanted by Israel, was killed in an explosion in May 2016 near Damascus international airport.
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| Pilot and Wife, Dead from Overdoses, Discovered by Their 4 Kids: Police Posted: 20 Mar 2017 11:33 AM PDT  Brian and Courtney Halye were found dead Thursday.
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| Macron, Le Pen clash in French TV debate Posted: 20 Mar 2017 03:28 PM PDT ![Macron, Le Pen clash in French TV debate]( "Macron, Le Pen clash in French TV debate") By Ingrid Melander and Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - The top candidates in France's presidential election clashed in a televised debate on Monday, with centrist Emmanuel Macron accusing far-right leader Marine Le Pen of lying and seeking to divide the French. Opinion polls show Macron and Le Pen pulling away from the pack in an election that has been full of twists and turns, and which is taking place against a backdrop of high unemployment and sluggish growth. One of the most heated exchanges came between the two frontrunners, after Le Pen accused Macron of being in favor of the burkini, a full-body swimsuit worn by Muslim women that created weeks of controversy in France last summer.
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| Stephen Hawking Expresses Concern Over Trump's Environment Policies Posted: 19 Mar 2017 11:21 PM PDT  The famed scientist called for the removal of Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt during a recent interview on "Good Morning Britain."
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| Restoration work completed on Jesus tomb site in Jerusalem Posted: 21 Mar 2017 05:58 AM PDT ![Restoration work completed on Jesus tomb site in Jerusalem]( "Restoration work completed on Jesus tomb site in Jerusalem") Moropoulou directed the work at the site. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church, where tensions often run high over control of its various sectors. Disputes between the dominations have held up restoration work for more than 200 years. Work only began last year after the church was deemed unsafe by Israeli authorities, who have controlled East Jerusalem since its capture in the 1967 Middle East war. Media reports said each denomination had contributed toward the project and Jordan's King Abdullah also made a personal donation, with the work costing around $3.3 million. Moropoulou said extensive work had been carried out on the masonry of the tomb.
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| Officials: Fire near Boulder, Colorado, may be human-caused Posted: 19 Mar 2017 07:09 PM PDT  BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Firefighters made progress Sunday in battling a small wildfire that forced people to flee hundreds of homes in the mountains just outside downtown Boulder, Colorado, and authorities said they believe the blaze may have been human-caused.
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| Pentagon launches probe after strike near Syria mosque Posted: 20 Mar 2017 10:47 AM PDT  The US military is probing allegations that a strike targeting Al-Qaeda leaders near a mosque in northern Syria killed numerous civilians, the Defense Department said Monday. The Pentagon says the strike targeted a meeting of senior Al-Qaeda leaders but local reports and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group have claimed dozens of people were killed, including civilians. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that officials initially thought there were "zero" civilian casualties.
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| Ford and Magna team up on prototype carbon fiber subframe Posted: 20 Mar 2017 04:00 PM PDT  Carbon fiber is becoming more commonplace than ever, and in the name of weight savings, the material may be making its way into more and more components in more and more common cars. One of those components is future Ford subframes. A collaborative effort between Ford and the German automotive supplier Magna Inernational has yielded a prototype carbon fiber composite subframe, which reduces mass by 34 percent compared to an equivalent steel subframe.
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| Macron increases first round lead on Le Pen ahead of French election: Elabe poll Posted: 21 Mar 2017 02:03 PM PDT ![Macron increases first round lead on Le Pen ahead of French election: Elabe poll]( "Macron increases first round lead on Le Pen ahead of French election: Elabe poll") French centrist Emmanuel Macron has slightly increased his lead on far right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of the French presidential election, an Elabe poll of voting intentions showed on Tuesday. The poll, conducted after a Monday night televised debate between Macron, Le Pen and three other leading candidates showed him leading in the first round by 26 percent against 24.5 percent for the National Front leader. This was an improvement of 0.5 percent in his position in an Elabe poll on Monday conducted before the debate, while Le Pen lost 0.5 percent.
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