| DNC chair candidates spar on future of party as race tightens Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:46 AM PST  The two most prominent candidates to lead the Democratic Party appeared to agree with each other on most of the issues in a CNN debate Wednesday night, while outsider candidates and the moderators needled them about how sharply the party should focus on President Donald Trump and whether sitting Democratic officeholders should be primaried in 2018.
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| Wonder-ful news: 13-year-old girl wins Supreme Court decision over service dog Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:01 PM PST  You may have seen photos of a young girl and her goldendoodle Wonder on the steps of the Supreme Court on social media, so who is she and why is she smiling? On Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with Fry, which may allow her to sue her local school board for damages for the emotional distress she said she suffered by being denied the assistance of her service dog. "The school district had decided that Wonder wasn't necessary," Stacy Fry, Ehlena's mother, told Yahoo News.
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| Austria detains Ukraine tycoon after extradition ruling Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:03 PM PST  Austria arrested one of Ukraine's richest men, a fresh twist for the one-time ally of ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Gas magnate Dmytro Firtash was taken into custody over alleged links to organised crime in Spain, moments after a Vienna court ruled he could be extradited to the US on corruption charges. Firtash, 51, made money through connections with Russian gas giant Gazprom, and was at one time linked to a former campaign aide of US President Donald Trump.
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| Last stand for Standing Rock Posted: 23 Feb 2017 05:37 AM PST ![Last stand for Standing Rock]( "Last stand for Standing Rock") Protesters opposed to the Dakota Access pipeline braced for a showdown with authorities as some vowed to defy Wednesday's deadline to abandon the camp they have occupied for months to halt the project. President Trump has pushed for the completion of the multibillion-dollar pipeline since he took office last month, despite objections from Native Americans and environmental activists who say it threatens the water resources and sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set a deadline of Wednesday afternoon for protesters to leave the Oceti Sakowin camp.
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| North Korea blames Malaysia for death of its citizen: KCNA Posted: 22 Feb 2017 04:04 PM PST ![North Korea blames Malaysia for death of its citizen: KCNA]( "North Korea blames Malaysia for death of its citizen: KCNA") North Korea blamed Malaysia on Thursday for the death of one of its citizens there last week and accused it of an "unfriendly attitude" in a scenario drawn up by South Korea, which has said Pyongyang agents assassinated the North Korean leader's half-brother. Malaysia had initially told North Korea that the person bearing a diplomatic passport had died after suffering a heart attack at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, Pyongyang's state-run KCNA news agency said. KCNA, citing a spokesman for a state committee, said Malaysia quickly changed its position and started to complicate the matter after reports surfaced in South Korea that the man was poisoned to death.
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| Seeing Double? Puppy Born in Shelter Has Bizarre Image of Herself on Left Ear Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:25 AM PST  "We had put up a picture of her trying to get her adopted, and someone commented, 'Oh look, she's got a dog on her ear,'" said a shelter representative.
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| The Quick Hit: 9 Things to Know About the New Earth-Like Planets Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:30 AM PST  The TRAPPIST-1 system is the most promising place to search for signs of alien life.
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| Spicer says angry town halls are hybrid of upset people and professional protesters Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:58 AM PST  In the White House press briefing, Sean Spicer downplays increasing protests on health care at GOP town halls across the country.
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| After protest, China says will address army veterans' issues Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:25 AM PST ![After protest, China says will address army veterans' issues]( "After protest, China says will address army veterans' issues") BEIJING (AP) — China's defense ministry said Thursday it expects economic growth and a strengthened social security system to solve problems faced by former soldiers, following reports of new street protests by disgruntled veterans who say they've been denied their promised retirement benefits.
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| The Latest: Suspect in slaying may have been high on drugs Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:44 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of two California police officers as they responded to a traffic accident (all times local):
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| Turkey says only 100 jihadists left in IS-held Syria battleground Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:41 AM PST  Turkey said Wednesday fewer than 100 jihadists were still holed up in the flashpoint Islamic-State Syrian town of Al-Bab, as rebel commanders predicted its capture was imminent. The fight for Al-Bab has seen the bloodiest clashes of Ankara's half-year campaign inside the conflict-torn country and its capture would be one of the most significant reverses for Islamic State in Syria. Speaking to NTV television, Defence Minister Fikri Isik said half of the town of Al-Bab was in the hands of Turkish troops and allied pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, after the government repeatedly said it was "largely under control".
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| Women in sports ad strikes nerve in Arab world Posted: 23 Feb 2017 02:53 AM PST ![Women in sports ad strikes nerve in Arab world]( "Women in sports ad strikes nerve in Arab world") An online commercial released by Nike this week that showed Arab women fencing, boxing and spinning on ice-skates has stirred controversy over its attempt to smash stereotypes about women leading home-bound lives in the conservative region. Maybe they'll say you exceeded all expectations." Within 48 hours the video was shared 75,000 times on Twitter and viewed almost 400,000 times on YouTube. "An ad (which) touches on the insecurities of women in a society digs deeper and becomes an empowerment tool rather than just a product," Sara al-Zawqari, a spokeswoman for the International Red Cross in Iraq, wrote on her Twitter page.
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| Texas Preschool Teacher Fired Over Anti-Jewish Tweet Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:16 PM PST  Nancy Salem, a preschool teacher in Arlington, Texas, was among 24 anti-Israeli activists at the University of Texas, Arlington. She was exposed by a campus watchdog group, Canary Mission.
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| Stranger Rescues 2 Little Girls From Dark Highway: 'We're Going to the Store!' Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:58 PM PST  Two little girls, ages 5 and 6, were found on a busy highway late at night after they decided to go shopping.
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| These are the world's best beaches 2017: TripAdvisor Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:46 AM PST  If there's one single beach that leaves visitors enamored, recharged and inspired, it's Baia do Sancho in Brazil, which captured the title of world's best beach by TripAdvisor travelers for a third time.
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| Why Did People on Medicaid Vote for Trump? Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:47 AM PST ![Why Did People on Medicaid Vote for Trump?]( "Why Did People on Medicaid Vote for Trump?") Here's a question that's baffled health reporters in the months since the election: Why would people who benefit from Obamacare in general—and its Medicaid expansion specifically—vote for a man who vowed to destroy it?
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| Tillerson and Kelly’s Visit to Mexico Went About as Well as You’d Expect Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:49 AM PST  Trump calls it a "tough trip."
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| Sessions: US to continue use of privately run prisons Posted: 23 Feb 2017 04:58 PM PST  Attorney General Jeff Sessions signaled Thursday his strong support for the federal government's continued use of private prisons, reversing an Obama administration directive to phase out their use. Stock ...
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| Turkey-backed Syria rebels seize battleground town from IS Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:36 AM PST  Al-Bab (Syria) (AFP) - Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said Thursday they had fully captured the town of Al-Bab from the Islamic State group, marking a key defeat for the jihadists after weeks of heavy fighting. As Ankara said its allies now had "near complete control" of the town, a fresh round of peace talks opened between the Syrian opposition and regime in Geneva. Al-Bab, just 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the Turkish border, was the last IS stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.
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| US-born panda Bao Bao lands in China after leaving DC zoo Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:35 PM PST  BEIJING (AP) — An American-born panda started settling into her new home Thursday in southwest China where she will eventually join a breeding program.
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| Scientists discover 7 earth-size planets with possible life orbiting star Posted: 23 Feb 2017 06:46 AM PST  NASA announced the discovery of the most Earth-size planets found in the habitable zone of a single star. The dwarf star, TRAPPIST-1, was discovered in 2008.
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| Olathe Restaurant Shooting Suspect Arrested Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:20 PM PST  A massive manhunt was launched by the Kansas police after a gunman yelling racial slurs in a restaurant shot three people.
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| One Android company wants to use smartphones to make PCs truly dead Posted: 22 Feb 2017 08:08 PM PST 
Android is an operating system that's supposed to power smartphones, tablets, cars, wearables, and other gadgets. But it's not an OS meant to take over your primary PC. Or is it? Recent reports indicate that Google has some great plans for Android, including turning the OS into a platform that can run on any device, laptops and desktops included. Even Samsung is heading in that direction on its own, as the Galaxy S8 is rumored to come with a special accessory that can be used to connect the smartphone to an external display. But until any of these plans get official, there's an Android company based in China that's already doing novel things with Google's mobile OS. Jide Technologies, which makes its Android-based, Windows-like Remix OS, is ready for the next big thing: Turning Android smartphones into full-fledged computers. We talked about Remix OS in the past, a free OS that lets you install Android on any Windows or Mac to offer you a Windows-like user interface and overall experience. The best part is that you still get to use the same apps you downloaded from Google Play on a bigger screen, complete with modified UI elements for the larger display real estate. But Jide is ready to move forward with an even bolder plan. Rather than installing Remix on your desktop, you could install Remix OS on Mobile (ROM) on your smartphone, and then just connect it to a display or TV. That's Remix Singularity in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUbnref3kGM That certainly sounds great, at least on paper. ROM will be "as close to stock Android as possible," Jide co-founder David Ko told The Verge in an interview. "But imagine when you get back to your office or study, you connect your phone, and it turns into a PC mode, just like a laptop or desktop." Yes, that sounds amazing in theory. In practice. ROM will not ship with Google Play preloaded, so users will have to sideload the app to get their Play apps working on bigger screen. Furthermore, Jide needs partners to agree to have ROM installed on their devices, something that might not coincide with their contractual obligations to Google. Finally, there's the hardware factor. You'd probably need a rather powerful mobile device to drive a great ROM experience on a monitor. But Jide is primarily targeting first-time Android users who won't all have the means to afford a powerful enough device. That said, Remix Singularity definitely sounds exciting, so we'll just have to wait to see it in action.
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| New Volkswagen eGolf offers more power and more range Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:15 AM PST  VW has announced that the latest-generation plug-in electric Golf will come with an EPA-estimated range of 125 miles (200km) when it goes on sale in the US this spring. Despite a more potent motor, the car can go further on a single charge because of improved and more efficient battery chemistry.
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| The Best Keyboards For Serious Typists Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:32 AM PST |
| The Latest: Wis. gov tells conservatives 'go big, go bold' Posted: 23 Feb 2017 07:51 AM PST  OXON HILL, Maryland (AP) — The Latest on the Conservative Political Action Conference (all times local):
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| Britain's top court backs government on immigration income test Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:29 AM PST ![Britain's top court backs government on immigration income test]( "Britain's top court backs government on immigration income test") By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top court backed a government attempt to limit immigration by ruling on Wednesday that an income test for those who want to bring their non-European spouses to the UK is acceptable and does not infringe human rights. Prime Minister Theresa May introduced a rule in 2012 when she was interior minister that Britons who wanted to bring spouses from outside the European Economic Area to the UK had to be earning at least 18,600 pounds ($23,170) a year. The Supreme Court said the minimum income requirement had caused significant hardship to many, but ruled that in principle it was not inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.
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| Death in Mississippi: Man held in quadruple slaying Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:20 AM PST  MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A man who lived in a rural home with his romantic partner, her young son, her mother and her sister was arrested on murder charges after all four were found shot to death, authorities said Wednesday.
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| Here's what the Ice Age tells us about future sea level rise Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:00 PM PST  A new study on an ancient ice sheet may hold important clues about our planet's future. The research focuses on the Laurentide Ice Sheet, the massive expanse covering North America during the last Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. A team of scientists found that small spikes in the temperature of the ocean — not the air — likely caused periods of rapid melting and splintering of the ice. SEE ALSO: This 'GOT' star teamed up with Google to capture Greenland's melting ice Their findings add to a growing body of evidence that climate change could ultimately drive sea levels even higher than today's models predict, according to the study published Feb. 15 in the journal Nature. Glaciers in Greenland, Antarctica and other areas have been melting rapidly in recent years due in part to increasing ocean temperatures. "It is possible that modern-day glaciers ... are more sensitive to ocean warming than we previously thought," said Jeremy Bassis, the study's lead author and an associate professor of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. Ice floats near the coast of West Antarctica as viewed from a NASA research aircraft. Image: Mario Tama/Getty Images For the study, Bassis and his colleagues looked at so-called Heinrich events: the periods during which the Laurentide Ice Sheet would rapidly disintegrate. Roughly every 8,000 years, the ice sheet's edges would break off, sending a vast armada of icebergs flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. The icebergs carried sediment from around Canada's Hudson Bay and deposited the dirt on the ocean floor. They also boosted sea levels by more than 6 feet over the course of hundreds of years. What triggered these Heinrich events has largely befuddled scientists. The rapid melting periods occurred during the coldest times of the last Ice Age — exactly the opposite of what you'd expect during a major ice melt. Image: university of michigan To determine why the ice melted despite the cold air temperatures during these times, the University of Michigan team focused on the role the oceans played, studying ice core and ocean-floor sediment records to estimate how temperatures varied over thousands of years. They also used Bassis' mathematical model for describing how ice reacts to air and ocean temperatures, and the implications for sea level rise. The scientists next created simulations of the timing and size of the massive Laurentide melting events. They found that even small changes in sub-surface ocean temperatures — of just 1 degrees Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — could lead to sea level-boosting Heinrich events. "Warm warm ocean water that's just tickling the edge of the ice sheets can trigger these catastrophic [ice] retreats that could last for centuries," Bassis said. The Nature study supports earlier findings that warmer North Atlantic water temperatures may have set the Heinrich events in motion. Image: university of michigan A 2011 study led by Shaun Marcott of the University of Wisconsin proposed that, thousands of years ago, sub-surface warming likely destabilized the ice and caused ice shelves to collapse near the Hudson Strait, which links the Hudson Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. The Nature study also lends further credence to the idea that Heinrich events reflect what's happening today on the rapidly melting Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, said Richard Alley, a professor of geosciences at Penn State University, who was not involved in the new research. Alley co-authored a 2015 paper that concluded that — based on the Ice Age's events — changes in ocean temperatures could drive future sea level rise even before the air grows significantly warmer in Antarctica. Unlike in the past, when air and ocean temperature shifts were natural in origin today's oceans are warming largely due to human-driven climate change. More than half of the increase in global ocean heat content has occurred in the last two decades, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Image: U.S. environmental protection agency "This new paper is a nice demonstration supporting earlier hypotheses that ice sheets are highly sensitive to warming in the surrounding water, as well as to warming in the air," Alley said. It also shows "that predicting the future of the ice sheets will mean understanding the changes in the ocean and the air," he added. For Peter Clark, however, the fact that Wednesday's study only affirmed earlier conclusions meant the researchers didn't actually offer new evidence that future sea levels may be higher than we're predicting. "Current models may be underestimating future sea level rise, but the results of this new paper don't give us any reason to think that this is the case," said Clark, an earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences professor at Oregon State University. BONUS: Leonardo DiCaprio's new film 'Before the Flood' says we can fix global warming
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| Young Immigrants Are Too Afraid To Apply For College In California Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:39 AM PST  President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to enforce the nation's immigration laws more aggressively.
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| An inside look at the differences between life at NASA and SpaceX Posted: 22 Feb 2017 04:00 PM PST 
When Elon Musk sets his sights on an industry, he does so with purpose and with the intention of completely turning said industry on its head. While most people are readily familiar with Musk's efforts at Tesla, the groundbreaking work being done by SpaceX, Musk's other company, has only recently started to attract attention from the mainstream.
To be sure, Elon Musk was bold for thinking that Tesla could revolutionize the auto industry. That said, Musk's plans to enter the aerospace industry with SpaceX and compete with and work alongside NASA wasn't just bold, it was downright crazy. And yet, both of Musk's ventures continue to amass greater success with each passing year. Earlier this month, we stumbled across a thread on Quora asking if it's better for engineers to work at NASA or SpaceX. Of course, the question itself was a bit misleading because it's not as if one company is superior to the other. Without question, some of the smartest minds on the planet can be found at both. Still, there are a number of interesting differences between the work environment at NASA and SpaceX that are worth highlighting. Tackling this issue, an engineer named Andre Lavoie -- who has spent significant time at both companies -- details a number of fascinating differences between life at NASA and SpaceX. Not surprisingly, the fact that NASA is a government agency, as opposed to a private company like SpaceX, impacts the work environment in both positive and negative ways. While Lavoie points out that the work-life balance at NASA is a positive, the work there can sometimes be encumbered by "an institutional aversion to risk" and predictably slow-moving bureaucracy. Projects can start with much fanfare and then be cancelled. Repeatedly. Maybe this is because there are many worthy things that should be studied but funds are always limited. It can be rewarding because you have more opportunity to really dig in and understand things and learn. Your job is very secure, even when budgets get cut or you yourself don't succeed.
As for life at SpaceX, the work environment there, not surprisingly sounds awfully similar to a forward-thinking start-up, albeit on steroids. In contrast, Space X is a product company. It designs, builds, sells and launches rockets. Your job there is to make that happen no matter what. Nobody gives up. Failure is acceptable, to a point. Risk taking is expected, but stupidity and recklessness is punished unceremoniously. You just get fired. There is no job security. Schedule is critical because as a privately funded company if it fails to succeed before the money runs out then it's game over. The sense of urgency is huge. At Space X you can have plenty of responsibility even if you have little experience. This is great if you are energetic, resourceful and work obsessively. If not you will probably fall behind and then your days will be numbered.
Lavoie's full answer, along with the full thread is well worth digesting in its entirety. You can check it out over here.
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| The 2018 Range Rover Velar Is a Glass Roof With Some Car Attached Posted: 23 Feb 2017 09:42 AM PST  And it shares its name with the first Range Rover prototype.
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| Google Fiber Is Looking To Grow; And Your City Could Be Next Posted: 22 Feb 2017 03:02 PM PST  Google Fiber is looking to provide recently purchased internet service "Webpass" to residents of Seattle.
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| 'Monster' ex-USA Gymnastics doctor charged with sex assault Posted: 22 Feb 2017 02:47 PM PST  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan sports doctor who treated elite female U.S. gymnasts was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting nine girls, including some too reluctant to speak up about the alleged abuse years ago because he was considered a "god."
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| Exclusive: Trump wants to make sure U.S. nuclear arsenal at 'top of the pack' Posted: 23 Feb 2017 03:09 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants to ensure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the "top of the pack," saying the United States has fallen behind in its weapons capacity. In a Reuters interview, Trump also said China could solve the national security challenge posed by North Korea "very easily if they want to," ratcheting up pressure on Beijing to exert more influence to rein in Pyongyang's increasingly bellicose actions. Trump also expressed support for the European Union as a governing body, saying "I'm totally in favor of it," and for the first time as president expressed a preference for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but said he would be satisfied with whatever makes the two sides happy.
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| Poland ousts 90 percent of top brass in defence overhaul Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:32 PM PST  About 90 percent of Poland's top military brass have been replaced in an overhaul launched by the rightwing government, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Several leading generals had already resigned over the past year as Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz pushes to consolidate the government's control of the armed forces. The defence ministry did not say how many generals had left the army, which now stands at 106,000 soldiers, up from 96,000 in 2015.
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| Life expectancy to keep rising; S. Korean women could hit 91 Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:30 PM PST  LONDON (AP) — While most people born in rich countries will live longer by 2030 — with women in South Korea projected to reach nearly 91 — Americans will continue to have one of the lowest life expectancies of any developed country, a new study predicts.
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| Turkish-backed forces seize center of Syria's al-Bab from IS Posted: 23 Feb 2017 11:25 AM PST ![Turkish-backed forces seize center of Syria's al-Bab from IS]( "Turkish-backed forces seize center of Syria's al-Bab from IS") By Humeyra Pamuk and John Davison ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish-backed rebels have seized the center of al-Bab town from Islamic State, Turkish state media and rebels said on Thursday, in a boost to Ankara's drive to defeat the militant group in northern Syria. Turkey launched its "Operation Euphrates Shield" in August in an effort to push Islamic State from its border and stop the advance of a Syrian Kurdish militia. Taking control of al-Bab, an Islamic State stronghold 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border, would deepen Turkish influence in an area of Syria where it has effectively created a buffer zone and would allow the Ankara-backed forces to press on towards Raqqa, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria.
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| News So Foreign It’s Out of This World: Scientists Discover Seven New Potentially Habitable Planets Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:57 PM PST  Hopefully a few of the planets have oil so we can invade them.
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| Amazon’s $20 Netgear router deal is back Posted: 23 Feb 2017 08:54 AM PST 
If you need to blanket a massive house with lightning-fast Wi-Fi, this is not the solution for you. Head on over to our big in-depth mesh networking system comparison and you'll find what you're looking for. But if you need a solid router that offers fast data speeds and more than enough coverage for an apartment or a small to medium-sized home, you'll be excited to learn that Amazon is once again offering the NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Router with High Power 5dBi External Antennas for just $19.99. This terrific and affordable router has a 4-star rating from nearly 7,700 customer reviews, so you know it'll get the job done. And for a penny under $20, you really can't go wrong. Here are a few key takeaways from the product page: - N300 Wi-Fi speed for faster downloads & Internet gaming
- 5dBi antennas for improved Wi-Fi coverage. NOTE: This product comes with an ethernet cable.
- Manage your home network with NETGEAR genie
- Use Push-N-Connect to add devices to your WiFi network with a push of a button
- GUEST NETWORK ACCESS for separate & secure WiFi access for guests
- SECURE WIFI CONNECTIONS for highest level wireless security with WPA/WPA2
- 4 MB flash and 32 MB RAM, Five (5) (1 WAN, 4 LAN) Fast Ethernet ports
- This version of the product will have 'WNR2020-200PAS' stickered on box
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| A Bodyboarder Dies In Fatal Shark Attack On Reunion Island Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:16 PM PST  A man bodyboarding on the northwest coast of Reunion Island died after a fatal shark attack.
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| 2017 GMC Acadia Denali AWD Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:31 PM PST  Exactly what you expect, nothing more, nothing less.
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| Polls show Trump is unpopular but carries clout Posted: 22 Feb 2017 04:15 PM PST  Donald Trump has historically low approval ratings, but would still have voters' support in a row with Congress, polls suggested Wednesday. Fresh surveys showed Trump's popularity is languishing -- threatening to sap his political capital just weeks into a four-year term. A Quinnipiac University poll reported 38 percent of voters think Trump is doing a good job.
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