| White House Officials Can't Say Who Knew What, When On Porter Allegations Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:49 AM PST  Top White House officials defended the administration's handling of allegations against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned this week amid accusations that he had physically abused his two ex-wives.
|
| Tweeters Criticize CNN Over 'Propaganda' Piece On Kim Jong Un's Sister Posted: 10 Feb 2018 11:32 PM PST  CNN is catching heat online for publishing an article about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, which critics claim paints her family's repressive regime in a positive light.
|
| The Latest: Netanyahu speaks to Russia's Putin about Iran Posted: 10 Feb 2018 04:39 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest on Israel offensive against Iranian targets in Syria (all times local):
|
| Las Vegas shooting: Autopsy on Stephen Paddock reveals little about what triggered the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:23 AM PST  An autopsy report on the Las Vegas gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history has offered little evidence as to what triggered his violent behaviour. Documents revealed Stephen Paddock had anti-anxiety drugs in his system when he opened fire on crowds at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in October 2017. Paddock unleashed a deadly barrage from a high-rise room in the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Vegas strip, killing 58 people and injuring more than 800 others attending the concert below.
|
| Russian offering info on Trump bilked U.S. spies out of money: NY Times Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:02 AM PST  A Russian who offered stolen National Security Agency cyberweapons and compromising information on President Donald Trump bilked U.S. spies out of $100,000 last year, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing U.S. and European security officials. The money was delivered to a Berlin hotel room in September and was intended as the first installment of a $1 million reward, according to U.S. officials, the Russian and communications reviewed by the Times, the newspaper reported. CIA spokesman Dean Boyd denied the story on Saturday, saying," "The fictional story that CIA was bilked out of $100,000 is patently false." The theft of the secret hacking tools was very damaging to the NSA, which was trying to determine exactly what was missing, the Times said.
|
| Rep. Devin Nunes: Dems packed memo full of sources, methods Posted: 11 Feb 2018 07:32 AM PST  House Intelligence Committee chairman says on 'Sunday Morning Futures' that the Democrats included sensitive material in their FISA memo, causing the White House to block its release.
|
| ICE Set To Deport Undocumented Father Whose 5-Year-Old Son Is Battling Cancer Posted: 10 Feb 2018 07:09 AM PST  Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to deport an undocumented man from Mexico whose child is battling cancer.
|
| Indonesia bus crash kills 27; police say brakes failed Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:49 PM PST  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A packed tourist bus returning from an outing collided with a motorbike and plunged from a hill on Indonesia's main island of Java after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 27 people, police said Sunday.
|
| Boston Radio Host Suspended After Using Fake Asian Accent To Mock Tom Brady's Agent Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:33 PM PST  The popular co-host of a Boston radio sports program has been suspended after using a fake Asian accent to impersonate the agent of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
|
| 'We Stand With Women,' RNC Spokeswoman Says Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:16 AM PST  The Republican Party stands with women said a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, despite a whole host of positions taken by the GOP in recent months that seem to contradict the statement.
|
| 'Unacceptable' to endanger lives of Russian soldiers in Syria: Moscow Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:22 AM PST  Russia on Saturday called for "restraint" from all parties in Syria and said it considered risking the lives of Russian soldiers "absolutely unacceptable" following large-scale Israeli air strikes inside Syria. "We strongly call on all sides involved to show restraint and avoid all acts that could lead to complicating the situation further," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. "It is absolutely unacceptable to create threats to the lives and security of Russian soldiers that are in the Syrian Arab Republic on the invitation of the legal government to assist in the fight against terrorism," it added.
|
| California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:15 PM PST ![California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry]( "California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry") SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California school district is investigating how a science project correlating low intelligence with racial groups was on full display at a science fair, where it drew outrage from some students, parents and staff.
|
| These Marine Aces Were Some of the Best Fighter Pilots of World War II Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:00 PM PST  Warfare History Network
|
| South Africa's ANC official urges patience during Zuma exit talks Posted: 10 Feb 2018 10:59 PM PST  By Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africans should be patient with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader Cyril Ramaphosa as he holds talks with President Jacob Zuma for a transition of power, the party's national chairperson said on Saturday. Ramaphosa has been lobbying for Zuma to resign and has said he hopes to conclude talks with him "in coming days ... in the interests of the country." Addressing an ANC rally in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, Gwede Mantashe said ANC officials should be fearless and must be able to make difficult decisions, but leaders had a duty to "analyse and mitigate risks".
|
| Donald Trump warns Israel its settlements are 'complicating' search for Middle East peace Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:06 AM PST  President Donald Trump has warned Israel that its West Bank settlements risk complicating efforts to find peace in the Middle East. In an interview published on Sunday, Mr Trump also told an Israeli newspaper that he was sceptical that either side - Palestinians or Israelis - were ready to make peace. The American president angered Palestinians in December when he recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and then threatened to withhold aid unless their leaders entered talks. But after going out of his way to talk up close ties with Israel during his first year in office, Mr Trump offered a more even handed approach in the interview with the conservative newspaper Yisrael Hayom by offering a cool assessment of Israeli settlement building. "The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements," he said. Donald Trump has talked up ties to Israel during his first year in office Credit: Reuters Israel broke ground on its first new settlement in the occupied West Bank in nearly 20 years when work began on Amichai last June despite requests from Mr Trump for a hold on construction as he tried to revive a moribund peace process. Settlements are considered illegal under international law. The White House had been expected to unveil a new peace proposal in the spring but the timetable has been in doubt ever since Palestinian leaders said they would play no part in a US-mediated process following Washington's recognition of Jerusalem. In the new interview, Mr Trump offered no firm timetable. "Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace, they are not looking to make peace," he said. "And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens." But he stood by his controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and described it as the highlight of his first 12 months. "I think Jerusalem was a very big point and I think it was a very important point," he said. Jerusalem - Israel "The capital, having Jerusalem be your great capital, was a very important thing to a lot of people. It was a very important pledge that I made and I fulfilled my pledge," he said. Israel claims the whole of the city as its capital. Palestinians also lay claim to East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel in 1967 - as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Previous US administrations have said the status of the city should form part of peace talks. Meanwhile Rex Tillerson, Mr Trump's secretary of state, arrived in Egypt on Sunday at the start of a five-nation tour which is likely to be dominated by growing regional unrest and concern about US policies in the Middle East.
|
| Teen Set To Testify Against Man She Accused Of Rape Found Dead Posted: 10 Feb 2018 10:46 AM PST  A teenager who had been set to testify against a Michigan man she said raped her has been found dead in what police are investigating as a homicide.
|
| Oroville crisis drives harder look at aging US dams Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:18 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year after the worst structural failures at a major U.S. dam in a generation, federal regulators who oversee California's half-century-old, towering Oroville Dam say they are looking hard at how they overlooked its built-in weaknesses for decades.
|
| Team USA's Only Mom Athlete Opens Up About Parenthood Posted: 11 Feb 2018 03:00 AM PST  The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are officially underway.
|
| Scaramucci talks Dems' FISA memo, Rob Porter and John Kelly Posted: 10 Feb 2018 07:20 AM PST  Former White House communications director shares his perspective on 'Fox & Friends.'
|
| Three Cameroon soldiers killed in restive anglophone region Posted: 11 Feb 2018 12:38 PM PST  Cameroon's national youth holiday was marred by violence on Sunday, with three soldiers killed and a local official feared kidnapped by suspected separatists in the country's restive English-speaking regions. Authorities imposed a week-long curfew in the troubled areas on Saturday, citing fears of an "imminent" attack by separatists after numerous online threats. Army spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck on Sunday said the three soldiers were killed in the southwestern village of Kembong, adding that there had been some "scattered attacks".
|
| Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Really 'Operational?' Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:10 AM PST  The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has declared its Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter operational. With the J-20 formally attaining initial operational capability, China becomes the only the second nation-state to have developed an operational stealth aircraft after the United States. Russia, which is currently developing the Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA, is running behind that pack since its new fighter will not enter operational service for some years to come.
|
| Alibaba broadens offline reach with $865 million Easyhome stake Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:31 PM PST  Alibaba Group Holding will pay about 5.45 billion yuan ($866 million) for a 15 percent stake in China's Easyhome, a home improvement chain, as the internet giant expands its investments in offline and retail businesses. The investment underscores the company's retail strategy, aimed at leveraging offline and online activities, Alibaba said in a statement.
|
| Top Democrat’s Return Sows Uncertainty for Iran Deal Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:01 PM PST  Iran hawk Bob Menendez's reinstatement as top Democrat on Senate Foreign Relations Committee could alter politics around the nuclear deal.
|
| Police: 2 officers killed responding to 911; suspect held Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:18 PM PST  WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two Ohio police officers responding to a 911 hang-up call were fatally shot on Saturday after entering a townhome in a Columbus suburb and a suspect who police were once warned "carries a gun all the time" was taken into custody, authorities said.
|
| Eiffel Tower Forced to Close as Paris Is Pummeled by Snow Posted: 10 Feb 2018 11:49 AM PST  Snow and rain shut down the Eiffel Tower and covered Paris in a white coat
|
| Pence upstaged by 2 Koreas' efforts to warm ties Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:04 AM PST  GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's efforts to keep North Korea from stealing the show at the Winter Olympics proved to be short-lived, quickly drowned out by the images of the two Koreas marching and competing together, as the South appeared to look favorably on warming ties on the Korean Peninsula.
|
| Cured French nun named as 70th miracle in Lourdes Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:31 AM PST  The case of a French nun who recovered from a decades-old back problem that prevented her from walking normally has been recognised as the 70th miracle at the fabled French shrine of Lourdes, her church said Sunday. Sister Bernadette Moriau from northern France visited the holy spring in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains in July 2008, aged 69, seeking a cure to her ailment like millions of other pilgrims each year. Sister Bernadette had undergone four unsuccessful operations.
|
| Netanyahu says Israel undeterred after Syria shoots down F-16 Posted: 11 Feb 2018 05:18 AM PST  By Jeffrey Heller and Lisa Barrington JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would press ahead with Syria operations despite their loss of an advanced warplane to enemy fire for the first time in 36 years. Syrian anti-aircraft fire downed the F-16 as it returned from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria early on Saturday. The Iran-backed forces are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's near seven-year civil war.
|
| Investor Soros pledges new donation to pro-EU group Posted: 11 Feb 2018 03:39 PM PST  (Reuters) - Billionaire financier George Soros will pledge an additional 100,000 pounds ($138,130) to Best for Britain, a campaign group seeking to keep Britain in the European Union, the group said in an email to Reuters. Soros, who donated 400,000 pounds to the campaign last week, will match any donations given to Best for Britain up to 100,000 pounds after attacks against him in the right-wing press, the group said. "I am happy to take the fight to those who have tried to use a smear campaign, not arguments, to prop up their failing case," Soros told the Guardian, which had reported on the donation earlier on Sunday.
|
| Conway Defends Trump Response To Abuse Allegations Against Ex-Aide Posted: 11 Feb 2018 08:28 AM PST  White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said she has "no reason not to believe the women" who accused staff secretary Rob Porter of domestic violence ― but then defended President Donald Trump, who has suggested that the allegations might not be true.
|
| Long Island man arrested on cockfighting charges Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:42 PM PST  ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Police searching for drugs at a home in New York discovered more than 60 caged roosters, a mistreated pit bull, a pheasant and equipment used to stage illegal cockfighting matches.
|
| Police shoot man during sword attack at Indonesian church Posted: 11 Feb 2018 01:07 AM PST  Indonesian police shot and wounded a man who attacked a church congregation with a sword during Sunday Mass, seriously injuring four people including a priest and destroying Christian imagery. "Four people have been injured in the incident -- quite seriously -- but we still cannot determine the perpetrator's motive," Yogyakarta police spokesman Yulianto told AFP. A few minutes after the service started, a congregation member ran into the church with a bleeding head chased by a young man holding a sharp weapon, said worshipper Andhi Cahyo.
|
| Rose McGowan Responds To Former Manager's Death Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:43 PM PST  Actress Rose McGowan addressed the death of former manager Jill Messick in a brief Instagram caption Saturday, three days after Messick's suicide.
|
| The B-32 Waged America’s Last Air Battle in World War II (After the War Ended) Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:09 PM PST  In fact, Dominator crews fought the last U.S. air battle of World War II—tragically, after the war was over. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber achieved fame—and infamy—for its role in the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Developing the huge bombers, which could lug heavy bomb loads over long distances at high altitudes and speeds, amounted to the most expensive weapons program undertaken by the United States during World War II—more expensive even the Manhattan Project.
|
| No Olympic truce for US, North Korea in Pyeongchang Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:17 AM PST  PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Forget an Olympic truce. The rhetoric war between North Korea and the Trump administration hasn't skipped a beat in Pyeongchang.
|
| US Navy probes alleged drug use by sailors in Japan Posted: 09 Feb 2018 11:04 PM PST  The US Navy said Saturday it was probing sailors at a base in Japan over alleged drug use and vowed no tolerance for any misconduct. "Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is investigating Yokosuka-based sailors for alleged drug use and distribution," the 7th Fleet said, referring to its home base southwest of Tokyo. "The Navy has zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations involving misconduct of our sailors, navy civilians and family members very seriously," it said in a comment emailed to AFP.
|
| Dissecting the Syrian Civil war: who's fighting who and where Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  Damascus, Idlib, Afrin and Aleppo - the blood-soaked regions in Syria's seven-year civil war are the subject of near daily reports of airstrikes, chemical attacks and civilian massacres. The scars of the conflict stretch far and wide - across ethnic divides, religious sects and down family lines - indiscriminately reducing whole cities to rubble, their remains pockmarked with bullet holes of seemingly endless fighting. But behind each region torn apart by the violence lies a distinct power struggle, between government forces, rebel fighters, Islamists, and proxy armies masking the strategic goals of a world powers. These multiple mini civil wars within the greater conflict in Syria make a peaceful solution little more than a distant hope. Here we break down and analyse five of the key battles raging across the country. Afrin Afrin (North West Syria) territorial control map On January 20, Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria codenamed Operation Olive Branch alongside Free Syrian Army (FSA), aimed at dislodging Kurdish militia fighters from the Kurdish canton of Afrin. The battle for Afrin opened up another front in an already complicated, multi-sided war in Syria. The area is controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG), who are considered terrorists by Turkey because of the group's connection to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey sees the capture of Afrin as vital to securing its volatile southern border. Rebel fighters spearheading the battle want to capture the city to help create a land border to Idlib, which is controlled by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The more moderate opposition fighters in the FSA are hoping to oust the al-Qaeda-linked rebels and reclaim the province. Kurds see Afrin as vital to any future autonomous state for the minority. The YPG has around 8,000-10,000 core fighters in Afrin but is gaining new recruits every day, including international volunteers. The offensive has rallied Kurds, who are hoping to use the cover of the war to make their federalist dream a reality. British and other foreign fighters who fought alongside the YPG against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Raqqa have joined the battle, pitting a Nato army against nationals from Nato members. Much of YPG's weaponry is American, including machine guns, rocket launchers and MRAP-type armored vehicles, having been armed by Washington for the Raqqa battle. The YPG is coming up against Turkey, Nato's second-largest military, and some 10,000 rebel fighters. Turkey has sent dozens of special forces and tanks to the border. The campaign has set Ankara on a collision course with Washington, which sees the Kurds are their most important ally in the fight against Isil. The operation was most likely launched with the consent of Russia, which backs President Bashar al-Assad and has troops stationed in Afrin. This is the second time the rebels have played a role in Turkey's efforts to protect its interests in northern Syria. In its previous cross-border Operation Euphrates Shield in August 2016, Ankara had utilised FSA units to establish a wedge between the two Kurdish cantons along Turkey's border. Idlib Idlib (North West Syria) territorial control map Idlib in northern Syria, which covers territory from northern Aleppo all the way to the border with Turkey, is the largest-remaining rebel stronghold. The province fell to the opposition in 2011 and has been fought over by both sides in the conflict ever since. Its important lies in its strategic positioning along the Aleppo to Turkey route - valuable to both the Syrian government and its opposition. Idlib has become something of a holding pen for rebels, who have been displaced from other areas of Syria by Assad forces. FSA rebels from Aleppo were sent there after surrendering to the regime in December 2016. More recently Isil fighters who fled their former territory in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor have also arrived in Idlib and the surrounding countryside, joining HTS, al-Qaeda's Syria branch, which has become the most dominant group in the area. Moderate groups have had to make deals HTS in order to survive against Assad's forces. The province is one of four designated "de-escalation zones" agreed upon by international powers Russia, Iran and Turkey at peace talks. However, the Syrian government has violated this agreement in recent weeks with its latest offensive. The Assad regime, supported by Russian jets, late last year launched its most serious attempt at retaking the province. The region is now pounded daily by both Syrian and Russian air strikes, which has left hundreds dead. Idlib was hit by a sarin gas last April, and the government has carried out an increasing number of chlorine attacks as the battle intensifies. The ground operation, which has seen Syrian troops and allied forces moving in on Idlib from its southern outskirts, has prompted the largest exodus of the nearly seven-year war, sending hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing north towards the closed Turkish border. Experts say the largest and most deadly battle of the conflict will be in Idlib, where as many as two million civilians live. Deir Ezzor Deir Ezzor (East Syria) territorial control map Deir Ezzor has always been seen as one of the prizes of the war. Home to some of the country's most lucrative oil fields, it has been fought over by more parties in the conflict than almost anywhere else. At one time or another, Isil, the Syrian government and its allied Iranian militias, Lebanese Shia militia Hizbollah, Russian troops, US special forces, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have fought for control of the province. Isil took control of the eastern city in a lightning offensive in 2014. It became one of its most important money-makers after the militants began selling off the crude oil from fields to the Syrian regime and Turkey. Both Syrian troops, backed by Iranian militias and Russian air strikes, and the US-backed SDF last year moved in on the city from opposite sides. The Euphrates river, which runs through the middle of Deir Ezzor, became the dividing line between Syrian forces on the western bank to US-backed SDF fighters on the eastern. Iran had wanted control of Deir Ezzor, which is close to Iraq and runs along the Baghdad to Damascus highway, to maintain control of a corridor from Tehran all the way to the Syrian capital. Controlling the route would ensure it could continue to get arms its allied militias in Iraq, Syria and Hizbollah in Lebanon. The US, which has a major base in al-Tanf to the south of Deir Ezzor, is keen to stop Iranian militias and maintain a presence in the area. This week the US-led coalition conducted air strikes against pro-government forces moving in on the area, in the deadliest intentional attack on the regime since the start of the conflict. Despite months of fighting, Isil has still not been fully rooted from the province and continues to launch attacks on both Syrian troops and SDF fighters, leaving large numbers of casualties on both sides. Hundreds of the jihadists are thought to be holding out in the vast Deir Ezzor desert along the Syria-Iraq border. Eastern Ghouta Damascus (South West Syria) territorial control map Eastern Ghouta, which lies in the suburbs of the capital Damascus, has been besieged by Syrian forces for nearly five years. A year longer than the siege of Sarajevo. Assad has seen Eastern Ghouta, one of the first areas to protest against the government in 2011, as an important area to regain. Close to his seat of power in Damascus, he sees the enclave as a thorn in his side. International concern has been rising over the fate of Ghouta, where the United Nations says acute shortages of food and medicine have contributed to the worst malnutrition seen in the Syrian civil war. Assad has continually denied access to the UN and other aid agencies to the enclave, where doctors say 500 people are in desperate need of urgent medical care and evacuation. It is home to almost 400,000 people and is in an agreed "de-escalation zone" under Russian-led ceasefire deals for rebel-held territory, but the fighting there has continued. The area hosts a number of Syrian rebel factions, but it is largely controlled by four main opposition groups. Jaish al-Islam, a hard-line militant group founded in 2013, is the most prominent fighting force in the eastern suburbs of the capital. More extreme groups Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have had some limited control over the suburbs. Rebel fighters are thought to number somewhere between 8,000-12,000. Both the Syrian army and rebels have lost hundreds of fighters and soldiers during these on-and-off skirmishes. Ghouta has been partially destroyed by years of indiscriminate air strikes from Syrian and Russian jets. It was also the site of the deadliest chemical attack of the civil war. More than 1,000 people were killed by sarin gas dropped by Syrian jets in August 2013. The Obama administration had warned that the use of chemicals by the Assad regime would be a "red line" for the US, but it never acted. Aleppo and the surrounding countryside Aleppo (North West Syria) territorial control map Syria's second city of Aleppo is the jewel in the country's crown. The eastern side of the city was badly destroyed by Syrian troops and Russian jets during the years it was under rebel control. It feel back to the regime in December 2016 after it was brought to its knees by blockades and bombing. Rebel fighters and activists who surrendered were bussed to Idlib and other opposition areas along with their families, while many civilians have still not been allowed to return. Resident of Aleppo have been forced to flee again in recent weeks as Syrian forces push up from the southern suburbs. In the north of the province, meanwhile, Turkish troops are heading towards Manbij in Aleppo governorate. Manbij is a key flashpoint in northern Syria -- located northeast of Aleppo city and around 25 miles south of Jarabulus, which sits on the Syrian-Turkish border. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of US air power, helped to root Isil forces from Manbij in August 2016. It is now under the control of the Manbij Military Council, which was set up by the SDF. Manbij marks the beginning of the range of influence of the SDF, the US's proxies, whom Ankara sees as terrorists. US has troops stationed there and has warned Ankara it will not withdraw them should Turkey continue. It is unclear what either Nato member would do when confronted with the other.
|
| Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare Posted: 10 Feb 2018 03:01 PM PST ![Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare]( "Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare") Carnival festivities took over Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, as revelers danced and drank at block parties with names like "fire in the underpants," despite an extended crime wave in the city and a spike in yellow fever cases throughout Brazil. Over 6 million people, including 1.5 million visitors, are expected to take to the streets of Rio for the annual celebrations, which pit the city's 13 best samba schools against one another in ornate parades that can cost over $2 million a piece.
|
| President Who Loves Making False Accusations Suddenly Pleads 'Due Process' Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:35 AM PST  President Donald Trump, a man notorious for throwing around patently false accusations, has suddenly appealed for "due process" as top White House aides have been cast out over domestic violence allegations.
|
| Police shoot man during sword attack on Indonesian church Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:11 PM PST  SLEMAN, Indonesia (AP) — Police in Indonesia shot a sword-wielding man who attacked a church congregation during Sunday Mass, injuring four people, including a German priest.
|
| U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:56 PM PST ![U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work]( "U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work") A senior Trump administration rail safety official resigned on Saturday after questions were raised about whether he was conducting outside work after taking the post, the U.S. Transportation Department said. Politico reported Saturday it had raised questions about whether Hall was simultaneously working as a public relations consultant for a Mississippi sheriff's department. Hall, who started work in June as deputy FRA administrator and served as acting administrator for more than six months, took a leave of absence last month for family reasons.
|
| 10 Reasons No Nation Wants to Go to War with Israel Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:41 AM PST  The Jericho III is the third missile to serve as Israel's land-based nuclear deterrent. The Jericho III is believed to have a range between 4,800 and 6,000 kilometers, and is capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram warhead payload. A range of 4,800 kilometers would enable it to strike from Morocco to eastern India, while an 6,500 kilometer range would enable it to target as far as western China.
|
| Rep. Andy Biggs says he is shocked by spending deal Posted: 09 Feb 2018 07:03 PM PST  Arizona congressman speaks out on 'The Story' about the need to get spending under control.
|
| False alarms highlight weaknesses in national alert system Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:57 AM PST  Weather junkie John Grosso knew it was highly unlikely a monster wave was barreling toward the Connecticut coast. Still, when a tsunami warning appeared out of the blue on his phone Tuesday, he felt a twinge of fear. His co-workers, who got the same alert, asked whether they should evacuate.
|
| Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit West Bank Posted: 10 Feb 2018 06:48 AM PST  Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian prime minister to visit the occupied West Bank where he held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a Middle East tour. The visit, which came weeks after Modi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen as an Indian effort to balance its strengthening ties with the Jewish state. "I have once again assured President Abbas that India is bound by a promise to take care of the Palestinian people's interests," Modi said following a meeting with the Palestinian leader.
|
