| Democratic strategist: WH doesn’t have proper vetting process Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:47 AM PDT  Various members of President Trump's cabinet faced a great deal of scrutiny this week. Ronny Jackson's nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs failed.
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| NRA Convention Bans Guns To Protect Mike Pence. Parkland Survivors' Jaws Drop. Posted: 28 Apr 2018 06:23 PM PDT  Guns will be barred during Vice President Mike Pence's appearance at an
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| Police Nab cop-killer Suspect After four-day Manhunt in Maine Posted: 28 Apr 2018 08:56 AM PDT  Police caught 29-year-old John Williams, the man authorities say killed Corporal Eugene Cole on Wednesday, after four days on the run.
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| Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Photobombs Kellyanne Conway Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:43 PM PDT  > LOL here's @MichaelAvenatti photobombing @KellyannePolls and @PressSec
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| Deal reached in Arizona after teachers' walkout; Colorado teachers also walk out Posted: 28 Apr 2018 01:49 PM PDT ![Deal reached in Arizona after teachers' walkout; Colorado teachers also walk out]( "Deal reached in Arizona after teachers' walkout; Colorado teachers also walk out") Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced a deal with state legislative leaders Friday to raise teachers' pay 20 percent by 2020, as educators stayed away from classrooms a second straight day in a spreading revolt over salaries and school funding. In a joint statement with Arizona Senate President Steve Yarbrough and House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, Ducey said the deal would also restore funding for schools that were cut in the last recession. The funds would be "flexible dollars for superintendents to use for support staff pay increases, update antiquated curriculum and improve school infrastructure – without raising taxes," the statement said.
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| 'My gladiator lay down his shield': Toddler Alfie Evans dies in Britain Posted: 28 Apr 2018 06:07 AM PDT  Alfie Evans, the 23-month-old British toddler whose grave illness drew international attention, died early on Saturday, his family said. Alfie had a rare, degenerative disease and had been in a semi-vegetative state for more than a year. After a series of court cases, doctors at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool removed his life support on Monday, against his parents wishes.
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| The Great Game in Asia: How China Sees Taiwan Posted: 29 Apr 2018 04:39 PM PDT  For the Chinese Communist Party, Taiwan represents the final obstacle to truly concluding the Chinese Civil War. In the wake of China's live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait, along with the largest naval drills in history of the People's Liberation Army Navy, the Republic of China's (Taiwan) status and meaning to the U.S.-China relationship is more prominent than ever.
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| Archaeologists find ancient mass child sacrifice in Peru Posted: 27 Apr 2018 06:02 PM PDT  LIMA, Peru (AP) — Archaeologists in northern Peru say they have found evidence of what could be the world's largest single case of child sacrifice.
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| Ford shifts focus, discontinues most passenger cars Posted: 28 Apr 2018 09:02 AM PDT  Ford announced this week that it's phasing out production for most of its traditional cars, excluding the Mustang and a new Focus crossover, in favor of larger vehicles.
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| Thousands protest for third day in Pamplona over 'wolf pack' gang rape case Posted: 28 Apr 2018 04:40 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Pamplona on Saturday to protest against the acquittal of five men accused of gang raping an 18-year-old woman at the city's bull-running festival. Demonstrators have filled streets across the country since the court ruling on Thursday, leading Spain's conservative government to say it will consider changing rape laws. The men were acquitted of sexual assault, which includes rape, and sentenced to nine years for the lesser offence of sexual abuse. In Pamplona itself, police said that "between 32,000 and 35,000 people" took part in a demonstration on Saturday, rallying under the slogan "it's not sexual abuse, it's rape". Thousands of women marched together with their hands raised at the protest, which police said passed off peacefully. Ana Botin, the influential head of Santander, one of Spain's biggest banks, tweeted that the ruling was "a step back for women's security" while former judge Manuela Carmena, now Madrid mayor, said it "does not meet women's demand for justice." The men, aged 27 to 29, had been accused of raping the woman at the entrance to an apartment building in Pamplona on July 7, 2016, at the start of the week-long San Fermin festival, which draws tens of thousands of visitors. The five, all from the southern city of Seville, filmed the incident with their smartphones and then bragged about it on a WhatsApp messaging group where they referred to themselves as "La Manada", or "The Pack" in English. An online petition calling for the disqualification of the judges who passed the sentence gathered more than 1.2 million signatures by Saturday. People shout slogans during a protest in Pamplona Credit: AFP The issue also hogged the headlines of newspapers all around the country and an order of Carmelite nuns added their voices to the wave of condemnation of the court judgement. Under Spain's criminal code, evidence of violence or intimidation must exist for the offence of rape to be proved. But that was a legal nuance that was "not always easy to establish," top-selling daily El Pais wrote in an editorial. It "leads to the painful question of just how much a person needs to fight to avoid being raped without risking getting killed, and still get recognised as a victim of a serious attack against sexual freedom while ensuring that the perpetrators do not enjoy impunity," the newspaper said. In their ruling, the judges said that "it is indisputable that the plaintiff suddenly found herself in a narrow and hidden place, surrounded by five older, thick-bodied males who left her overwhelmed and unresponsive. Demonstrators hold a banner reading in Basque "There is no one who judges our opinion" during a protest in Pamplona Credit: AFP "The videos show the plaintiff surrounded and stuck against the wall by two of the accused... she has an absent grimace, and keeps her eyes closed," they added. Already on Thursday, large crowds of mainly women had marched in cities across Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona, following the court sentencing. In the northern city of Santander protesters blocked roads, public television TVE reported. Then on Friday, thousands of people demonstrated outside the Pamplona court where the judgement was made. And a community of 16 Carmelite nuns in the Hondarribia monastery in the Basque country condemned the court ruling on Facebook. "We live cloistered away, wearing a habit that reaches down to our ankles, we don't go out in the evening, we don't go to parties, we don't drink alcohol and we've undertaken a vow of chastity," the nuns said. People shout slogans and hold banners during a demonstration against the verdict of the 'La Manada' (Wolf Pack) gang case Credit: Getty "And because that's our free choice, we will defend with all the means at our disposal... the right of all woman to FREELY do the opposite, without them being judged, raped, threatened, killed or humiliated," they wrote. State prosecutors said they would appeal the ruling. Adriana Lastra, a top official with Spain's main opposition Socialist party, said the court ruling was "disgraceful". "It's the product of a patriarchal and macho culture," she added. The case was cited in signs carried by many women during massive demonstrations held in cities across Spain to mark International Women's Day in March, which were among the largest in Europe.
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| Trump on Russian 'informant': Putin wants to make U.S. more chaotic Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:02 AM PDT  Trump says Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, claiming to be an "informant" is only doing so because Putin wants to make the United States more chaotic.
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| Palestinian teen dies after being wounded by Israeli fire on Gaza border Posted: 28 Apr 2018 03:49 AM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - A 15-year-old Palestinian youth died on Saturday after being shot the previous day by Israeli troops during protests along the Gaza border, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israeli forces have killed 42 Palestinians since Gaza residents began staging protests along the border fence on March 30.
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| Southwest Airlines sued after woman claims post-traumatic stress disorder following fatal engine explosion Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:41 AM PDT  A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight that made an emergency landing after an engine burst apart is suing the company, saying she has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder sparked by the carriers' alleged negligence. Lilia Chavez was sitting three rows behind the window that was shattered by shrapnel from the exploding engine. Ms Chavez, a California native, has argued in her federally filed lawsuit that she has been suffering from PTSD, depression and other personal injuries since the fateful flight.
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| 1,300-Pound Great White Shark Named Hilton Spotted Near Florida Panhandle Posted: 28 Apr 2018 03:37 PM PDT  A Twitter-famous shark turned up in a new location on Friday -- near the
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| Lynching memorial leaves some quietly seething: 'Let sleeping dogs lie' Posted: 28 Apr 2018 03:00 AM PDT  One mile away, another historical monument tells a very different tale about the American south: the First White House of the Confederacy celebrates the life of "renowned American patriot" Jefferson Davis, who served as the president of the Confederate states, while making virtually no mention of the hundreds of black people he and his family enslaved. The contradictions of Montgomery's historical narratives were on full display this week as thousands of tourists and progressive activists flocked to the city to mark the opening of the country's first memorial to lynching victims – while some locals quietly seethed, saying they resented the new museum for dredging up the past and feared it would incite anger and backlash within black communities. "It's going to cause an uproar and open old wounds," said Mikki Keenan, a 58-year-old longtime Montgomery resident, who was eating lunch at a southern country-style restaurant a mile from the memorial.
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| Special celebration for longtime Pittsburgh Pirates usher’s 100th birthday Posted: 28 Apr 2018 09:06 AM PDT  Phil Coyne is beloved in the Steel City, serving the Pittsburgh Pirates for 82 years as an usher. The team and his fans honored Coyne for his 100th birthday with a celebration at the ballpark he loves.
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| Hundreds pay respects for woman slain in Waffle House attack Posted: 27 Apr 2018 07:23 PM PDT  GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) — Hundreds of people thronged a Tennessee church on Friday, some hugging and crying, as they paid their respects for a college student killed in the weekend shooting rampage at a Waffle House.
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| Fox News Reporter: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Deserves Apology After Press Dinner Posted: 29 Apr 2018 02:20 PM PDT  Fox News reporter Ed Henry said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee
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| U.S. appeals court allows Texas to implement voter ID law Posted: 27 Apr 2018 07:31 PM PDT  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday allowed Texas to implement a law requiring photo identification at the ballot box, reversing a lower court decision that blocked the measure on the grounds it could be discriminatory against racial minorities. The panel said the new legislation enacted last year had "improvements for disadvantaged minority voters," the latest chapter in a seven-year dispute over voter ID at the ballot box in Texas, the most-populous Republican-controlled state.
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| 'Avengers: Infinity War' Just Had The Biggest Opening Weekend Ever Posted: 29 Apr 2018 01:41 PM PDT  "Avengers: Infinity War," the culmination of a 10-year Marvel film journey,
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| Mexico's Pemex back in black, but production drops Posted: 27 Apr 2018 06:03 PM PDT  Mexican state oil company Pemex returned to profit in the first quarter of the year, it reported Friday, but falling production continued to dog the firm. Pemex posted net profits of 113 billion pesos ($6.2 billion) from January to March, up 29 percent from the same period last year, and an improvement on its $18 billion loss in the last three months of 2017. Pemex, whose output peaked at 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004, has struggled for years with declining production.
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| 3 Siblings Are on Their Way to Recovery After The Accident That Killed Their Parents Posted: 29 Apr 2018 08:56 AM PDT  They are all in critical care.
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| U.S. urges Europeans to impose sanctions on Iran missile program Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:55 AM PDT  The United States is urging its European allies and others to impose sanctions on Iran to curb its missile program, calling it an international threat to peace and security. "We are urging nations around the world to sanction any individuals and entities associated with Iran's missile program, and it has also been a big part of discussions with Europeans," Brian Hook, senior policy advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, told reporters in Riyadh.
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| RIP Larry Harvey: Burning Man's leading light dies at 70 Posted: 28 Apr 2018 02:26 PM PDT  Larry Harvey, the co-founder of the Burning Man festival who grew it from an event on a San Francisco beach to a desert arts festival of global significance, died Saturday. He was 70. Harvey had been hospitalized after a stroke on April 4, and had remained in critical condition. "Though we all hoped he would recover, he passed peacefully this morning at 8:24am in San Francisco, with members of his family at his side," wrote Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell in the organization's official announcement. SEE ALSO: Burning Man Isn't What You Think, and Never Has Been Harvey's story has already passed into countercultural legend. A former landscape gardener and carpenter, he and his friend Jerry James decided to burn a large wooden figure of a man on San Francisco's Baker Beach in 1986. The Burning Man event, repeated annually, began to draw exponentially increasing numbers of attendees — so many that Harvey and friends needed a new location where it could grow relatively unchecked by authorities. In 1990 they found one in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, and the week-long extravaganza of Burning Man began. Much of the event's energy in those early years was provided by the Cacophony Society, a culture-jamming collective of California artists. But it was Harvey who became the face and the driving force behind Burning Man's expansion. After a particularly anarchic version of the festival in 1996, in which one participant ran his car over a number of people in tents, Harvey oversaw Burning Man's transformation into Black Rock City — a temporary urban environment with roads, gas lamps and an army of volunteers. Harvey was a self-educated deep thinker who would never use one word where a paragraph would do. He was often to be found delivering lectures and giving interviews, his signature cowboy hat never far from his head. But that ceaseless brain provided the philosophy and principles that made Burning Man what it is today — a year-round global network with 85 official regional events on six continents. He insisted that the event resist commercialization, so that even now, with around 70,000 regular annual attendees, the only things you can buy with actual money at Burning Man are ice and coffee. He balanced the "radical self reliance" needed to survive in the harsh desert environment with a "gift economy" culture — encouraging participants to offer goods and services freely to others in the name of community. Harvey insisted that everyone think of themselves as a participant and a provider; at Burning Man, there were to be "no spectators." Indeed, the volunteerism rate at Black Rock City — roughly 70% of attendees get involved with one of the events' many sub-organizations such as the Lamplighters or the Department of Public Works — has amazed the urban planners and city managers who made the pilgrimage. Burning Man's fame soon far outgrew the numbers who made the actual trek to Black Rock. In particular, Silicon Valley took to the event with a vengeance. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were regular attendees. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were not only enthusiastic Burners themselves, but chose their CEO, Eric Schmidt, because he was the only candidate who had been to Burning Man. SEE ALSO: Make Burning Man suck again! Harvey allowed and accommodated the increasing number of celebrities (such as Kanye West and Katy Perry) to attend. He weathered storms of grumbles from old-time Burners over the "turnkey" camps that accommodated the rich, pointing out that only 2 percent of attendees were members of society's wealthiest 1 percent. He soothed the event's constant conflicts with its landlords at the Bureau of Land Management, and encouraged the artists whose work has spread out from the festival, now installed in locations such as Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. But his mind was forever on the philosophy behind the event and the good it could do in the world at large. Burning Man was never just a party or an arts festival to Harvey; it was what anarchists call a Temporary Autonomous Zone, a space to try different ways of living, that would inspire change back in the "default world." Harvey called Burning Man a "hundred year movement," and felt that regional events known as "burns" would soon overtake the need for one central Burning Man. And still it grew. Every year Harvey designated a theme for the event — from the simple ("Floating World," a nod to the prehistoric lake bed of Black Rock) to the historical ("Da Vinci's Workshop") to the obscure ("Caravansary"). Some themes were more successful than others, but they all inspired jaw-dropping art and playfully improvised theme camps. Harvey had initially set up Burning Man as a private corporation — one that began to take in more than $10 million in annual ticket revenue. (Its expenditure often matched that, not least because the BLM kept raising its land use fees). Facing down criticism on this front, Harvey turned the organization into a nonprofit. He ceded day-to-day management to Goodell, his dear friend and colleague for 22 years, and designated himself Chief Philosophical Officer. A sign above his office door read "Larry Harvey does not exist." But he did. He most definitely did, and he changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who have attended the event and found it to be transformational. "Larry Harvey had an idea and because of that idea my life changed forever," wrote one attendee on Facebook who first got together with her husband at the event. "That idea brought me dozens of amazing friends from across the globe, obscene amounts of fun, broken bones, an empty wallet, dreadful over-confidence, desert survival skills (sometimes), the ability to cook dinner for 50 people in tent in a sandstorm, some beautiful corsets, a half-share in a lock-up garage in Reno, camping kit that's eternally full of gypsum, and the love of my life." Harvey is survived by a son, a brother, a nephew, and a hundred-year movement.
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| Michelle Wolf performs stand-up routine at White House Correspondent's dinner Posted: 28 Apr 2018 08:41 PM PDT  Wolf's routine took shots at President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and the media.
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| Arizona police officer shot by carjacking suspect dies Posted: 28 Apr 2018 10:30 AM PDT ![Arizona police officer shot by carjacking suspect dies]( "Arizona police officer shot by carjacking suspect dies") NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — A police officer in the Arizona border city of Nogales was killed after he tried to stop a carjacking suspect.
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| Kim Vows to Close North Korea Nuclear Weapons Test Site by May, South Korea Says Posted: 29 Apr 2018 06:40 AM PDT  Kim's comments could indicate his biggest step towards denuclearization so far
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| Five universities revoke Bill Cosby's honorary degrees after sexual assault conviction Posted: 27 Apr 2018 06:57 PM PDT  Five universities, including his alma mater, have rescinded comedian Bill Cosby's honorary degrees in the wake of his sexual assault conviction. "As a university, we stand in firm opposition to sexual assault, whether on our campuses or elsewhere," said Johns Hopkins University spokesman Dennis O'Shea said in a statement. "The university will not tolerate sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking or sexual harassment," added Carnegie Mellon in an unsigned statement.
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| Northrop Grumman Has a Smart Strategy for Business Success Posted: 29 Apr 2018 04:09 AM PDT  Northrop Grumman is only bidding on projects that the company believes will generate the best financial returns on its investments. Continuing a recent trend amongst major defense companies, Northrop Grumman is only bidding on projects that the company believes will generate the best financial returns on its investments. The company even ruled out bidding on certain programs where it is the incumbent, such as a new replacement electro-optical distributed aperture system (DAS)—the contract for which ended up going to Raytheon.
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| Saudi Aramco appoints first woman to board of directors Posted: 29 Apr 2018 04:46 AM PDT  Saudi national oil giant Aramco said Sunday that five new members had been appointed to its board of directors, including the first woman in the firm's history. Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, 60, is the former head of US oil company Sunoco Inc. and has been director of oil services company Baker Hughes since July last year. Other newly-appointed Aramco board members include Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan, while Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh was retained as the company's chairman, state-owned Aramco said in a statement.
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| Tesla owner who turned on car's autopilot then sat in passenger seat while travelling on the M1 banned from driving Posted: 28 Apr 2018 05:03 AM PDT  A man who switched on his car's autopilot before moving to the passenger seat while travelling along a motorway has been banned from driving for 18 months. Bhavesh Patel, aged 39, of Alfreton Road, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, April 20. The court heard that at 7.40pm on May 21, 2017, Patel was driving his white Tesla S 60 along the northbound carriageway of the M1, between junctions 8 and 9 near Hemel Hempstead. While the £70,000 car was in motion, he chose to switch on the supercar's autopilot function before moving across to the passenger seat and leaving the steering wheel and foot controls completely unmanned. A witness noticed Patel, who had owned the car for a maximum of five months at the time of the incident, sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Tesla founder Elon Musk Credit: Joe Skipper/Reuters No one could be seen in the driver's seat and Patel appeared to have his hands behind his head. The witness, who was a passenger in another car, filmed Patel as the car drove past. Witness accounts stated that traffic was heavy due to congestion and it has been estimated that the vehicle was travelling at approximately 40mph at the time. Footage of the incident was first posted on social media before it was reported to police and a Notice of Intended Prosecution was then sent to Patel in the post. He was later interviewed by officers at Stevenage Police Station, where he admitted that he knew what he had done was 'silly', but that the car was capable of something 'amazing' and that he was just the 'unlucky one who got caught'. As part of the investigation, officers obtained a statement from a Tesla engineer who described autopilot as a 'suite of driver assistance features'. Tesla Model 3 puff They stated that these are hands-on features intended to provide assistance to a 'fully-attentive driver'. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) assists with acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle whilst Autosteer provides assistance with steering of the vehicle. Further literature provided by Tesla states that drivers should 'never depend on TACC to adequately slow down model S, always watch the road in front of you and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death'. Investigating officer PC Kirk Caldicutt, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, said: "What Patel did was grossly irresponsible and could have easily ended in tragedy. He not only endangered his own life but the lives of other innocent people using the motorway on that day. History of Tesla "This case should serve as an example to all drivers who have access to autopilot controls and have thought about attempting something similar. I want to stress that they are in no way a substitute for a competent motorist in the driving seat who can react appropriately to the road ahead. "I hope Patel uses his disqualification period to reflect on why he chose to make such a reckless decision on that day." In addition to his 18-month disqualification, Patel was given 100 hours unpaid work, ordered to carry out 10 days rehabilitation and pay £1,800 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
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| Africa’s democratic 'laggards' must listen to calls for change - Liberia’s Johnson Sirleaf Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:30 AM PDT  By Clement Uwiringiyimana KIGALI (Reuters) - African leaders resisting "democratic transformation" must heed their citizens' calls for change, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Saturday after receiving an award aimed at promoting good leadership on the continent. Without naming specific countries or leaders, she referred to "laggard" countries in the region of one billion people who are "not meeting democratic transformation". "Their own citizens are making the call for change and I don't think they can continue to resist or deny that call for change," Johnson Sirleaf told Reuters after accepting the award in Rwanda's capital Kigali.
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| Tennessee Teen Attacked by Group of Boys in Church Parking Lot Posted: 28 Apr 2018 05:28 PM PDT  A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized after a group of kids beat him up in the parking lot of Collierville First Baptist Church.
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| Israel briefly holds Lebanese woman who crossed border: army Posted: 29 Apr 2018 01:05 AM PDT ![Israel briefly holds Lebanese woman who crossed border: army]( "Israel briefly holds Lebanese woman who crossed border: army") BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's army said on Sunday that it had briefly held a Lebanese woman who crossed the border and then repatriated her, a detention Beirut denounced as an abduction. The Lebanese army said that the woman, Nohad Dali, was taken on Saturday evening from Shebaa, a small disputed area that Israel regards as part of the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967, but which Beirut says is Lebanese territory. "An Israeli enemy patrol carried out the abduction of Nohad Dali," a Lebanese army statement said.
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| Detroit police seek to end citywide paintball battle Posted: 27 Apr 2018 07:10 PM PDT  DETROIT (AP) — Stepped up police enforcement is planned this weekend in Detroit to quell a social media-publicized citywide paintball war that — so far — has resulted in six arrests and left an unmarked patrol car splattered.
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| Trump and Merkel tried – and failed – to hide their differences in Washington Posted: 28 Apr 2018 04:31 AM PDT  Donald Trump and Angela Merkel worked hard to present a united front on Friday but could not mask deep differences in substance and style. Although the two leaders stressed the US and Germany's close ties, their low-key meeting offered a stark contrast to the lavish state visit of French president Emmanuel Macron – and their body language was distinctly colder. At a joint press conference at the White House, Trump bemoaned America's $151bn trade deficit with the European Union, whose exemption from steel and aluminum tariffs expires on Tuesday unless the US grants an extension.
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| Dubai port operator, Hyperloop team up on high-speed cargo delivery Posted: 29 Apr 2018 11:45 AM PDT  Dubai's giant port operator DP World on Sunday joined hands with Virgin Hyperloop One to create a global firm that will build high-speed cargo delivery systems. The new company, DP World Cargospeed, will create futuristic transport systems using Hyperloop's tube-based technology to deliver goods and link existing road, rail and air transport infrastructure. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, head of state-owned DP World, said the partnership with Hyperloop, backed by British tycoon Richard Branson, would help "shape the future of global logistics".
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| Utah Democrats nominate McAdams for House race against Love Posted: 28 Apr 2018 03:52 PM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Democrats nominated Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams Saturday for what is expected to be the only competitive congressional race in the largely Republican state.
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| Nicaragua student protesters put conditions on talks Posted: 28 Apr 2018 05:00 PM PDT  University students at the forefront of anti-government unrest in Nicaragua on Saturday issued conditions for talks with the government of President Daniel Ortega. In a bid to calm the situation, 72-year-old veteran leader Ortega has agreed to hold talks, but the framework has not yet been defined. The students told a news conference in Managua that their demands must be met for them to take part.
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| Complete list of every full moon in 2018, including April's Pink moon Posted: 29 Apr 2018 07:59 AM PDT  Keep your eyes on the skies this weekend for April's full moon, which is dubbed the 'Pink moon'. While the moon will be at its fullest at 01:58 on Monday morning, it will take place overnight on Sunday – so start looking out for it as the sun sets on April 29. Stargazers were treated to two full moons in March: as well as the first full moon on the night of March 1, we saw another full moon on March 31. As it was the second full moon of the month, it was a blue moon – the second of 2018. The first blue moon of the year was a spectacular sight, dubbed the 'super blue blood moon'. Falling on January 31, it was the product of three different phenomena: it was a supermoon, a blue moon and a blood moon. While many said it was the first to be seen in 152 years, other contested the fact, leading to a division among scientists. The moon is the largest and brightest object in our night sky and has enchanted and inspired mankind for centuries. Blue moons are a rare breed, but full moons can be admired every month. Here is everything you need to know about Earth's only natural satellite, from all its different names to how it was formed. Super blue blood moon, in pictures How often does a full moon occur? Afull moon occurs every 29.5 days and is when the Moon is completely illuminated by the Sun's rays. It occurs when Earth is directly aligned between the Sun and the Moon. Why do full moons have names? The early Native Americans didn't record time using months of the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Instead tribes gave each full moon a nickname to keep track of the seasons and lunar months. Most of the names relate to an activity or an event that took place at the time in each location. However, it wasn't a uniform system and tribes tended to name and count moons differently. Some, for example, counted four seasons a year while others counted five. Others defined a year as 12 moons, while others said there were 13. Colonial Americans adopted some of the moon names and applied them to their own calendar system which is why they're still in existence today, according to the Farmer's Almanac. January: Wolf Moon This moon was named because villagers used to hear packs of wolves howling in hunger around this time of the year. Its other name is the Old Moon. This January there are two Wolf Moons - and stargazers will be in for a treat as both will be supermoons. When two moons occur in one month, the second is called a blue moon. While blue moons typically occur only once every two to three years, this year we will be treated to two moons - the second appearing at the end of March. The night following the first full moon of the month saw the Quadrantid meteor shower light up the skies. When? January 2 and January 31 February: Snow Moon Snow moon is named after the white stuff because historically it's always been the snowiest month in America. It's also traditionally referred to as the Hunger Moon, because hunting was very difficult in snowy conditions. However this year there won't be a Snow Moon - with a full moon occurring at the end of January and another at the beginning of March, we won't see one light up the skies during the year's shortest month. When? There will be no full moon this month The full Snow Moon appears red above London's Albert bridge and Battersea Bridge in 2012 Credit: Anthony Devlin March: Worm Moon As temperatures warm, earthworm casts begin to appear and birds begin finding food. It's also known as Sap Moon, Crow Moon and Lenten Moon. There will be two moons this March, one at the start of the month and one at the end. As in January, the second moon of the month is called a blue moon. The second moon of the month is important because it is used to fix the date of Easter, which is always the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This year, that moon appears on Saturday March 31, which means Easter Sunday falls the day after, on April 1. When? March 1 and 31 April: Pink Moon April's full moon is known as the Pink Moon, but don't be fooled into thinking it will turn pink. It's actually named after pink wildflowers, which appear in the US and Canada in early spring. This moon is also known as Egg Moon, due to spring egg-laying season. Some coastal tribes referred to it as Fish Moon because it appeared at the same time as the shad swimming upstream. When? April 30 at 01:58 (so start looking out for it as the sun sets on April 29) May: Flower Moon Spring has officially sprung by the time May arrives, and flowers and colourful blooms dot the landscape. This moon is also known as Corn Planting Moon, as crops are sown in time for harvest, or Bright Moon because this full moon is known to be one of the brightest. Some people refer to it as Milk Moon. When? May 29 June: Strawberry Moon This moon is named after the beginning of the strawberry picking season. It's other names are Rose Moon, Hot Moon, or Hay Moon as hay is typically harvested around now. This moon appears in the same month as the summer solstice, the longest day of the year (June 21) in which we can enjoy approximately 17 hours of daylight. When?June 28 The so-called 'Strawberry Moon' rises behind Glastonbury Tor on in June 2016. Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images July: Thunder Moon Named due to the prevalence of summer thunder storms. It's sometimes referred to as the Full Buck Moon because at this time of the year a buck's antlers are fully grown. When? July 27 August: Sturgeon Moon Tribes in North America typically caught Sturgeon during this month, but also it is when grain and corn were gathered so is also referred to as Grain Moon. This moon appears in the same month as the Perseid meteor shower. When? August 26 September: Harvest Moon The Harvest Moon is the name given to the first full moon that takes place closest to the Autumn equinox, which this year will come on September 23. The Harvest Moon arrived late last year, on October 5 - it normally rises in September. It was during September that most of the crops were harvested ahead of the autumn and this moon would give light to farmers so they could carry on working longer in the evening. Some tribes also called it the Barley Moon, the Full Corn Moon or Fruit Moon. When? September 25 October: Hunter's Moon As people planned ahead for the cold months ahead, the October moon came to signify the ideal time for hunting game, which were becoming fatter from eating falling grains. This moon is also known as the travel moon and the dying grass moon. When?October 24 November: Frost Moon The first of the winter frosts historically begin to take their toll around now and winter begins to bite, leading to this month's moon moniker. It is also known as the Beaver Moon. When? November 23 December: Cold Moon Nights are long and dark and winter's grip tightens, hence this Moon's name. With Christmas just a few weeks away, it's also referred to as Moon before Yule and Long Nights Moon. When? December 22 Clouds clear to allow a view of the final full moon of the year, a so-called 'Cold Moon' on December 13 2016 in Cornwall. Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images Once in a blue moon Does this well-known phrase have anything to do with the moon? Well, yes it does. We use it to refer to something happening very rarely and a blue moon is a rare occurrence. It's the name given to a second full moon that occurs in a single calendar month and this typically occurs only once every two to three years. There's lots of other moons, too: Full moon: We all know what these are. They come around every month and light up the night at night. Harvest moon: The full moon closest to the autumn equinox. Black moon: Most experts agree that this refers to the second new moon in a calendar month. The last black moon was at the start of October 2016 and the next one is expected in 2019. Blue moon: A phenomenon that occurs when there is a second full moon in one calendar month. Joe Rao from space.com explains: "A second full moon in a single calendar month is sometimes called a blue moon. A black moon is supposedly the flip side of a blue moon; the second new moon in a single calendar month." Supermoon is seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, in May 2012. Credit: AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano The infrequent nature of this lunar event led to the phrase "once in a blue moon" to signify a rare occurrence. It does not actually mean the moon will be blue. Blood moon: Also known as a supermoon lunar eclipse. It's when the shadow of Earth casts a reddish glow on the moon, the result of a rare combination of an eclipse with the closest full moon of the year. There was one in the UK in September 2015, and before that in 1982 but the next one won't be until 2033. Strawberry moon: A rare event when there's a full moon on the same day as the summer solstice. It happened in June 2016 for the first time since 1967 when 17 hours of sunlight gave way to a bright moonlit sky. Despite the name, the moon does appear pink or red. The romantic label was coined by the Algonquin tribes of North America who believed June's full moon signalled the beginning of the strawberry picking season. What is a supermoon? Ever looked up at the night sky to see a full moon so close you could almost touch it? Well you've probably spotted a supermoon. The impressive sight happens when a full moon is at the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth. To us Earth-lings, it appears 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger to the naked eye. How a supermoon is generated Supermoon is not an astrological term though. It's scientific name is actually Perigee Full Moon, but supermoon is more catchy and is used by the media to describe our celestial neighbour when it gets up close. Astrologer Richard Nolle first came up with the term supermoon and he defined it as "… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 per cent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit", according to earthsky.org. How many supermoons are there in 2018? There are two full moon supermoons this year, both of which took place in the first month of the year. The first appeared on January 2 and the second appeared on January 31. As it was the second moon of the month, the latter moon was also known as a blue moon. There will also be two new moon supermoons in 2018: one on July 13 and another on August 11. Unfortunately, stargazers were unable to see these moons as new moons are generally obscured by the light of the sun. Last year we were lucky enough to have four supermoons. The first three - April 26, May 25, June 24 - were new moons. The fourth supermoon of 2017 appeared on December 3 and was a full moon supermoon. This will be a full moon supermoon. In fact, it's the first of three full moon supermoons in a row. Supermoon rises over Auckland, New Zealand in August 2014. Credit: Simon Runting/REX What do I look for? Head outside at sunset when the moon is closest to the horizon and marvel at its size. As well as being closer and brighter, the moon (clouds permitting) should also look orange and red in colour. Why? Well, as moonlight passes through the thicker section of the atmosphere, light particles at the red end of the spectrum don't scatter as easily as light at the blue end of the spectrum. So when the moon looks red, you're just looking at red light that wasn't scattered. As the moon gets higher in the sky, it returns to its normal white/yellow colour. Will the tides be larger? Yes. When full or new moons are especially close to Earth, it leads to higher tides. Tides are governed by the gravitational pull of the moon and, to a lesser extent, the sun. Because the sun and moon go through different alignments, this affects the size of the tides. Tell me more about the moon The moon is 4.6 billion years old and was formed between 30-50 million years after the solar system. It is smaller than Earth - about the same size as Pluto in fact. Its surface area is less than the surface area of Asia - about 14.6 million square miles according to space.com Gravity on the moon is only 1/6 of that found on Earth. The moon is not round, but is egg-shaped with the large end pointed towards Earth. It would take 135 days to drive by car to the moon at 70 mph (or nine years to walk). The moon has "moonquakes" caused by the gravitational pull of Earth. Experts believe the moon has a molten core, just like Earth. How was the Moon formed? How the Moon was formed Man on the Moon Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon and they were all American men, including (most famously) Neil Armstrong who was the first in 1969 on the Apollo II mission. The last time mankind sent someone to the moon was in 1972 when Gene Cernan visited on the Apollo 17 mission. Although Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin was the first man to urinate there. While millions watched the moon landing on live television, Aldrin was forced to go in a tube fitted inside his space suit. Buzz Aldrin Jr. beside the U.S. flag after man reaches the Moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Credit: AP When the astronauts took off their helmets after their moonwalk, they noticed a strong smell, which Armstrong described as "wet ashes in a fireplace" and Aldrin as "spent gunpowder". It was the smell of moon-dust brought in on their boots. The mineral, armalcolite, discovered during the first moon landing and later found at various locations on Earth, was named after the three Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil ARMstrong, Buzz ALdrin and Michael COLlins. An estimated 600 million people watched the Apollo 11 landing live on television, a world record until 750 million people watched the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. One of President Nixon's speechwriters had prepared an address entitled: "In Event of Moon Disaster". It began: "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay to rest in peace." If the launch from the Moon had failed, Houston was to close down communications and leave Armstrong and Aldrin to their death. How the Daily Telegraph reported Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon in 1969
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| China's Xi, India's Modi seek new relationship after summit Posted: 28 Apr 2018 03:40 AM PDT  By Sue-Lin Wong WUHAN, China (Reuters) - The leaders of China and India agreed to open a new chapter in their relationship on Saturday after an informal summit, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan for meetings with President Xi Jinping, an ice-breaking trip both hoped would allow candour and nurture trust. "President Xi stressed that the issues between China and India are of a limited, temporary nature but the relationship between the two countries is extensive and ongoing," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told reporters in Wuhan.
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| Pakistan moves jailed doctor who helped track bin Laden Posted: 28 Apr 2018 11:40 AM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani prison authorities have moved the jailed doctor believed to have helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden, his attorney said on Saturday, speculating it could be a prelude to his release. The continued imprisonment of Dr. Shakil Afridi has long been a source of tension between Pakistan and the United States, which cut military aid over accusations Pakistan continues to shelter Taliban militants fighting U.S. and Afghan soldiers across the border in Afghanistan. A jail official in the northwestern city of Peshawar told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Afridi had been transferred to Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, but said the reasons were unclear and could simply be security-related.
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