| Chicago Murder Manhunt Ends as Suspects Surrender to Police in California Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:38 AM PDT  Wyndham Lathem, an associate professor at Northwestern University and Andrew Warren, an employee at Oxford University in the UK, surrendered separately to authorities in California on Friday, ending a nationwide manhunt, a U.S. Marshals official said.
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| Pauly Shore delivers pitch-perfect impersonation of Stephen Miller for Funny or Die Posted: 06 Aug 2017 10:31 AM PDT  These days, there's ample work for comedic impersonators, including Pauly Shore, who delivered a spot-on impersonation of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller.
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| U.S. Marine Osprey Crashes off Australian Coast Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:31 AM PDT  A search-and-rescue operation was underway Saturday after three Marines went missing when their aircraft crashed into the sea off the eastern coast of Australia during landing, the Marine Corps said.
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| Iran's Rouhani sworn in as tensions simmer over nuclear deal Posted: 05 Aug 2017 07:32 AM PDT  Iran's President Hassan Rouhani warned the US against tearing up the nuclear deal as he was inaugurated for a second term Saturday, but he also faces challenges closer to home amid accusations he is rolling over to conservatives. Rouhani met with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini before the ceremony and called for greater efforts to safeguard the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in the face of new US sanctions. "Iran will not be the first to violate the nuclear deal... but nor will it stay silent when the United States fails to respect its commitments," he told the packed parliament hall.
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| Tourists Arrested in Germany For Performing Hitler Salute Posted: 06 Aug 2017 10:08 AM PDT  The salute is banned in Germany
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| Full Flake Interview: I'm 'Concerned About the Direction' of GOP Posted: 05 Aug 2017 11:03 PM PDT  In exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Jeff Flake tells Chuck about his new book which takes aim at the role of the Conservative movement within the Republican Party.
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| Panda gives birth to twins at French zoo, one cub dies Posted: 04 Aug 2017 11:58 PM PDT  Huan Huan, on loan to Beauval zoo in central France from China, delivered the first cub at 10:18 pm (2018 GMT) and the second at 10:32. The Chinese experts, who have experience of this, saw it straight away," zoo director Rodolphe Delord said. The youngster has been put in an incubator so vets can give first-time mum Huan Huan a helping hand, zoo officials said.
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| 10 people hospitalized after unexpected turbulence on an American Airlines flight Posted: 06 Aug 2017 08:35 AM PDT  American Airlines Flight 759 headed from Athens, Greece to Philadelphia experienced extreme, unexpected turbulence that left 10 people (passengers and crew) hospitalized, according to reports. The flight had almost 300 people on board and eventually landed safely in Philadelphia. Jessica Huseman, a reporter on the flight, tweeted her experience after the plane had safely landed in Philadelphia. SEE ALSO: American Airlines delayed a flight because the plane smelled like pee "Turbulence on flight was so insane and unexpected a flight attendant dislocated his shoulder," she tweeted. "Some passengers are injured as well. We all used our fleece blankets to mop the ceiling of the plane down after drinks went flying," she continued, before praising the American Airlines attendants. No warning at all. Plane lurched thru the air. Honestly, terrifying. — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) August 5, 2017 Huseman explained that the flight attendants had just handed out drinks to passengers, which meant when the plane began experiencing turbulence, beverages went flying. Lol guys there's coffee inside the lights. INSIDE. God I smell terrible. pic.twitter.com/lcQ2GawaR8 — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) August 5, 2017 According to a report from Action News, an Philadelphia ABC affiliate, people also went flying within the aircraft. "Thirty minutes out. They were giving us our drinks," passenger Ian Smith told Action News. "The flight attendants were in the last couple rows when they said 'fasten your seat belts.' And then they said for the flight attendants to get to their seats, and they didn't even have time. It started shaking, then it took a big drop. Babies screaming, people in front of us hitting the ceiling," Smith said. American has already called me, and will be calling everyone on the flight. Impressed again. Hoping for speedy recoveries for the crew. — Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) August 5, 2017 In a statement made to Fox News Travel, American Airlines explained what happened after the "severe turbulence." "The seat belt sign was on at the time. Three passengers and seven crew members were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. We are taking care of our passengers and our crew members at this time and want to thank our team members for keeping our passengers safe," a statement read. WATCH: NASA is looking for a planetary protection officer to keep space safe
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| British model kidnapped in Milan as captor 'tried get $300,000 ransom before auctioning her online' Posted: 05 Aug 2017 06:06 AM PDT  A British model has been left traumatised after she was drugged and kidnapped in Milan while her captor sought to "auction" her on the internet if her agent did not pay $300,000 (£230,000), Italian police said Saturday. Police said the model, who has not been named, was sent by her UK agent to Milan for a photo shoot on July 10 and was brutally kidnapped the following day by a man who posed as a photographer. They are searching for at least one accomplice. "The psychological pressure on the girl has been extreme," said Serena Ferrari, one of the senior police from Milan involved in the investigation. "She was very afraid." Images supplied by Italian police showing a simulation of the kidnapping Credit: Polizia Di Stato When the 20-year-old model arrived at the fake studio near the city's central railway station on July 11, she was injected with the drug ketamine before being undressed and photographed. Her kidnapper and an accomplice then handcuffed the young woman, taped her mouth shut and stuffed her in a large bag in the boot of their car before driving her more than two and a half hours to a remote house in Borgial, a tiny hamlet 120 miles from Milan close to the French border. She was kept handcuffed to a wooden chest of drawers inside a rented house for a week. Police said she was not raped. Her British agent notified police when she failed to return to London and he received the subsequent ransom demand. Lukasz Pawel Herba, 30, a Polish national from Szczecin who lives in the UK, was arrested by police and charged with the attack. Police said he had confessed to the kidnapping, which investigators described as an elaborate plot that involved months of planning. The model was held in a remote house Credit: Alberto Cattaneo Milan prosecutor Paolo Storari described him as "dangerous". The model was held captive for seven days while her kidnappers sought to "auction" her through a "dark web" network named as "Black Death", a group that investigators claimed had been previously investigated by Europol. "Europol found traces of this group on the "dark web" a couple of years ago," the chief of the Milan branch of Italy's state police, Lorenzo Bucossi, told the Daily Telegraph. "We don't know if the accused is linked to an organisation or created his own version of Black Death." Prosecutor Mr Storari said it was unclear whether this organisation really existed or whether it was created by Mr Herba. However, he added: "We can say the accused was about to create an auction online. Police allege Mr Herba used a fake passport Credit: Polizia Di Stato "We have evidence he had contact with people who have kidnapped women in the past." Police alleged there were three other cases of women being auctioned for sexual slavery on the kidnapper's computer, but this was the only concrete case of an auction they had found. The model was released because she was a mother with a young child. "You have a two-year-old child and our rules exclude mothers," the kidnapper allegedly told her, according to a report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper. When she was finally released, the captor demanded $50,000 and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident to the police. The kidnapper issued a chilling warning in what appears to be a contract taken from the accused's computer. "You are being released with a warning. You are certainly aware of your value on human slavery market. A mistake was made by capturing you," the document said in English. Pictures of the handcuffs supplied by Italian police Credit: Polizia Di Stato "You have agreed to pay outstanding costs of your release of $50,000. We expect that money to be paid in Bitcoin within one month. Any sort of disobedience will result in your elimination. "You have been treated fairly with respect and we expect to hear the same about us in return." Milan police swooped when the kidnapper accompanied the woman to the UK Consulate in Milan on July 17. It is unclear why he accompanied her. Italian police said British and Polish investigators had been working with them closely on the investigation. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We have been providing consular support to a British woman in Italy and are in touch with local authorities." Police are now seeking to identify and trace at least one accomplice. Police believe Mr Herba had spent months planning the attack and had obtained a false Polish passport under the name Daniel Zawada through the internet in May 2017. He allegedly used it to acquire a legitimate tax file number and rent two properties in Italy. He is also alleged to have acquired two balaclavas and a Bitcoin device on the web. Mr Herba's neighbours in Birmingham described him as a loner who had few friends. The model was held for seven days in a small town outside Turin Credit: Alberto Cattaneo One man, who lives in the block next to Mr Herba's described how he would come and go, dressed in a cheap suit and driving a "banged up" car. "I would see him quite a lot, going in and out of the flat. He would always be wearing a suit when he was going to work," he said. "It wasn't an expensive-looking suit. He would go off to work in the morning, and then every half hour or so he would come back into the flat. It was weird." Another resident added: "You'd see him coming in and going again all of the time, but you could never really chat to him. Nobody ever came back with him." Police confirmed that a raid was carried out on Mr Herba's flat in the early morning of 18 July. A neighbour said: "I woke up to the sound of an officer shouting: 'Break the door down'. There was then a massive banging noise, and the door crashed open. "When I looked out of my window, I could see police officers in their uniforms moving plastic bags out of the flat and into their cars." One local resident, Sinead Boyce, 23 described Mr Herba as "a strange, strange bloke" who would walk around with rat on his shoulder. "He would come and go all the time with his brother, I think they were working on something together. They just seemed to use the flat as a bit of a base. "Every now and then, we'd see him carrying a rat around with him. I don't think he had a name, the rat. "But during the summer months in particular, he'd have this rat on him. It was bizarre, really strange. One day my mum asked him if she could see it. "He came up close to her and she had a good look. But even then, he wouldn't speak to us. "I've never seen him with anyone else, either, other than his brother." Another resident added: "Yeah, I'd see him with the rat every now and then. I don't know why he had it."
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| Pence denies eyeing presidential bid amid distance with Trump over Russia Posted: 06 Aug 2017 10:50 AM PDT  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday denied that he is preparing for a presidential election run in 2020, saying the suggestion is "disgraceful and offensive." Pence was responding to a New York Times report that some Republicans were moving to form a "shadow campaign" as though President Donald Trump were not involved. It said multiple advisers to Pence "have already intimated to party donors that he would plan to run if Mr. Trump did not." The report said Pence had not only kept a full political calendar but also had created his own independent power base, including a political fund-raising group called the "Great America Committee." But Pence called the article "fake news" and said his entire team was focused on advancing Trump's agenda and seeing him re-elected in 2020.
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| Rebuilding Aleppo’s Old City Posted: 06 Aug 2017 08:10 AM PDT ![Rebuilding Aleppo's Old City]( "Rebuilding Aleppo's Old City") Reconstructing the Old City of Aleppo in Syria is vital not just to Syria's cultural heritage but to the country's economy.
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| The Latest: FBI: Investigation ongoing into mosque blast Posted: 05 Aug 2017 03:49 PM PDT  BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The Latest on a reported explosion at a Minnesota mosque (all times local):
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| Abbas pledges to ramp up Gaza sanctions Posted: 06 Aug 2017 02:56 AM PDT  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has pledged to increase sanctions on the Gaza Strip, drawing a fresh attack from its Hamas rulers. Abbas, the leader of the internationally-recognised Palestinian government based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has been seeking to weaken Islamists Hamas by cutting power supplies to crowded Gaza. On Saturday, he said he would continue with sanctions on the coastal strip, despite UN concerns that it amounts to collective punishment of its two million residents.
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| Exclusive: Gov. Brown Supports California “Sanctuary Cities” Lawsuit Posted: 05 Aug 2017 03:49 AM PDT  Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) tells Chuck Todd he supports the idea of a lawsuit over the president's latest attempt to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" in an interview to air Sunday on Meet the Press.
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| Russia probe intensifies as Mueller zeroes in on Trump's inner circle Posted: 06 Aug 2017 09:03 AM PDT  ABC News' George Stephanopoulos recaps the latest in politics on "This Week."
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| NASA Responds To Nine-Year Old Boy Who Applied For A Job Posted: 06 Aug 2017 11:11 AM PDT  Jack Davis, a nine-year-old from New Jersey, applied for a job with NASA and the space agency responded via social media.
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| Hangry Woman Stabs Ex-Boyfriend In The Back For Refusing to Make Her Food Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:48 AM PDT  In case you need another reason not to cook dinner with ex-boyfriends.
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| Woman Who Urged Boyfriend To Kill Himself Is Sued By Boy's Family Posted: 06 Aug 2017 10:29 AM PDT  They are asking for 4.2 million.
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| 'Laughable and Absurd.' Vice President Mike Pence Denies That He's Mulling a 2020 Presidential Run Posted: 06 Aug 2017 09:06 AM PDT !['Laughable and Absurd.' Vice President Mike Pence Denies That He's Mulling a 2020 Presidential Run]( "'Laughable and Absurd.' Vice President Mike Pence Denies That He's Mulling a 2020 Presidential Run") He claims he has no intention to split from Trump
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| US calls off search for three marines missing after their Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea off Australia Posted: 05 Aug 2017 07:06 PM PDT  US military officials called off a search and rescue operation on Sunday for three US Marines who were missing after their Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea off the east coast of Australia while trying to land. The US Navy and Marine Corps suspended the rescue operation and launched a recovery effort instead, the Marine base Camp Butler in Japan said in a statement, essentially confirming the military does not expect to find the missing Marines alive. The Marines' next of kin had been notified, and Australia's defense force was assisting the Americans with the recovery effort, the statement said. The MV-22 Osprey had launched from the USS Bonhomme Richard and was conducting regularly scheduled operations on Saturday when it crashed into the water, Camp Butler said. The ship's small boats and aircraft immediately responded in the search and rescue efforts, and 23 of 26 personnel aboard the aircraft were rescued. "Recovery and salvage operations can take several months to complete, but can be extended based on several environmental factors," Camp Butler's statement said. "The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, and there is no additional information available at this time." The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but flies like an airplane. They have been involved in a series of high-profile crashes in recent years. The aircraft was in Australia for a joint military training exercise held by the US and Australia last month in Shoalwater Bay in Queensland state. The Talisman Sabre exercise, a biennial event between the two nations, involved more than 30,000 troops and 200 aircraft. Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne said Saturday's incident occurred off the coast of Shoalwater Bay. "I can confirm no Australian Defence Force personnel were on board the aircraft," Payne said in a statement. Payne said she had spoken with US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis "to offer Australia's support in any way that can be of assistance." A White House official said President Donald Trump had been briefed by chief of staff John Kelly on the mishap of an aircraft off the east coast of Australia. In 2015, a US Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Hawaii, killing two Marines. Last December, a US military Osprey crash-landed off Japan's southern island of Okinawa. Its five crew members were rescued safely. And in January, three US soldiers were wounded in the "hard landing" of an Osprey in Yemen.
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| Gay, small-town Oklahoma clerk claims harassment in lawsuit Posted: 05 Aug 2017 04:51 PM PDT ![Gay, small-town Oklahoma clerk claims harassment in lawsuit]( "Gay, small-town Oklahoma clerk claims harassment in lawsuit") OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — When Randy Gamel and his husband were looking for a retirement home, a six-bedroom fixer upper in the tiny western Oklahoma town of Hitchcock caught their eye.
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| Brazil troops storm Rio slums to catch gang leaders Posted: 05 Aug 2017 06:28 PM PDT  Thousands of Brazilian army troops raided Rio de Janeiro slums in a pre-dawn crackdown on crime gangs on Saturday, leaving parts of the city looking like a war zone on the first anniversary of the opening of the Olympic Games. Five favelas were targeted by around 1,300 police and 3,600 troops in a sweep starting at 4 am (0700 GMT), the Rio state security service said in a statement. Rio state authorities say there were 10,000 cases of cargo theft last year.
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| Mercosur suspends Venezuela, urges immediate transition Posted: 05 Aug 2017 02:09 PM PDT ![Mercosur suspends Venezuela, urges immediate transition]( "Mercosur suspends Venezuela, urges immediate transition") By Silvio Cascione SAO PAULO (Reuters) - South American trade bloc Mercosur suspended Venezuela indefinitely on Saturday, adding more international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to dismantle a newly created pro-government constituent assembly and restore democracy. Foreign ministers of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil announced the decision in Sao Paulo, urging Maduro to release prisoners and immediately start a political transition. It is not possible to inflict such torture on the people," Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes said after the meeting.
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| Google Anti-Diversity Manifesto Sparks Response From Company's VP Of Diversity Posted: 05 Aug 2017 06:01 PM PDT  A Google engineer's opinions on diversity have sparked further conversation within the company.
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| Police Discover More Than 1000 Animals, Many Dead, in Warehouse Posted: 05 Aug 2017 11:31 AM PDT  Police are investigating the case of animal cruelty.
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| Someone Threw a Bomb Through a Mosque Window in Minnesota Posted: 05 Aug 2017 10:47 AM PDT  The Muslim American Society of Minnesota says that someone threw an explosive device that started a fire in the imam's office at a mosque near Minneapolis
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| The Latest: Trump defends his national security adviser Posted: 04 Aug 2017 08:23 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EDT):
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| Ex-soldier held in Turkey on terror charges is innocent, parents insist Posted: 06 Aug 2017 07:45 AM PDT  A British solider arrested on holiday for fighting Isil was only in Syria "to help people", his parents have claimed, as they appealed for his release. Joe Robinson, 24, from Accrington, Lancs, was arrested on 22 July while on holiday in the town of Didim in south-west Turkey. He was accused of "being a member of a terrorist organisation", apparently in connection with time he spent in Syria fighting with the Kurdish militia in 2014, and was initially held alongside his girlfriend and her mother. Joseph Robinson Credit: Facebook They were released after six days, but Robinson remains in custody. "I just want information," his mother, Sharon, 48, told the Guardian. "We don't know if there's a court date, how he is coping or what he's actually being charged with. "I've asked if there's any way we can get in touch with him but I've heard nothing at all. "I had no idea about the situation in Turkey and I don't think Joe did either, otherwise he wouldn't have gone there on holiday." Robinson's father Andrew, 53, added: "We can't get anywhere. I'm ringing Turkey and getting no response. "It's not the Foreign Office's fault – they're ringing Turkey and Turkey aren't telling them anything. "He's only just managed to get an English-speaking solicitor after more than a week in custody." Robinson's solicitor, Kaya Kayaoglu, who visited Robinson on Tuesday, told the BBC he was in jail in the town of Aydin, western Turkey. Joseph Robinson Credit: Facebook "He looked fine and in good spirits but we do not know when he will be taken to court," he said, adding that it could take months for prosecutors to write an indictment. Robinson's girlfriend, Mira Rojkan, 22, said: "We were still wet and in our towels when about 20 armed plain-clothed police surrounded us and took us inside the house we were staying in. "They searched the house for more than an hour but found nothing except a water pistol we'd been messing around with the day before. "It was just awful. They said someone had sent them an email saying we were terrorists about to do something in Turkey. "That is complete rubbish. They said pictures on Facebook of Joe in Kurdish uniform proved he is a terrorist." Sharon Robinson insisted her son was "not capable of anything like that". "He's impulsive, he's crackers, but he's not that. He's a really good lad." A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are aware of the detention of a British national in Turkey and have requested consular access."
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| South Korean FM open to meeting North Korean counterpart Posted: 05 Aug 2017 03:01 AM PDT  South Korea's foreign minister said Saturday she was open to rare discussions with her North Korean counterpart at a security forum in the Philippines in a bid to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The diplomatic olive branch came as the isolated regime faces increasing global pressure following its second intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 28, with the United Nations Security Council set to vote this weekend on new sanctions. "If there is an opportunity that naturally occurs, we should talk," Kang Kyung-Wha told reporters as she landed in Manila on Saturday, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
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| Trump greets wedding guests at his New Jersey golf club Posted: 05 Aug 2017 10:01 PM PDT  The president took selfies and chatted with guests.
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| The Latest: Venezuela opposition leader back to house arrest Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:39 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela's political crisis (all times local):
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| How Humans Have Affected Evolution Posted: 04 Aug 2017 06:40 PM PDT  Evolution no longer has to take millions of years.
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| Footage emerges of moment American Airlines plane burst into flames Posted: 05 Aug 2017 01:56 AM PDT  Dramatic footage has been released of the moment when a plane was engulfed in flames shortly before taking off Chicago last October. Miraculously nobody was seriously hurt when the right-hand side of the American Airlines caught fire. The blaze started when the plane, a Boeing 767, blew a tire shortly before take off on a flight to Miami. Within seconds part of the plane was in flames after debris smashed through fuel lines to one of the engines. The pilot aborted the takeoff and terrified passengers fled for safety, with some seen dragging their luggage across the grass verge by the runway. Heavy smoke can be seen coming from an American Airlines Boeing 767 after it burst into flames at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Emergency escape chutes were deployed and the 161 passengers and nine crew were evacuated two minutes and 21 seconds after the plane had come to a complete stop. Video posted online at the time showed passengers coming down an emergency slide, and running away from the tarmac as black smoke billowed from the plane. It is estimated that more than 2,000 gallons of fuel escaped, turning one of the wings into a fireball. The footage, obtained by the US broadcaster, NBC, captures the moment when the plane caught fire and the scene as it unfolded as fire trucks rushed to the scene. Passengers flee American Airlines plane after catching fire during take-off 00:27
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| Michelle Obama's long journey to the White House is a story spanning five generations Posted: 06 Aug 2017 07:38 AM PDT  Former First Lady Michelle Obama's family sure has come a long way in five generations. American filmmaker and Selma director Ava DuVernay shared a compelling tweet paying tribute to the former First Lady's great-great-great grandmother, Melvinia "Mattie" Shields McGruder, who was born a slave in South Carolina in 1844. SEE ALSO: Michelle Obama wished Barack Obama a happy birthday with some absolutely adorable throwback pics Become your ancestor's wildest dream. pic.twitter.com/4xvyBZauwY — Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 5, 2017 DuVernay tweeted: "Become your ancestor's wildest dreams." The inscription on the tombstone states that, at age six, Mattie was brought to the Shields farm, located in what is now the community of Rex, in Georgia's Clayton County. Decades later, Mattie's great-great-great granddaughter, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, not only went to Princeton University but also earned her law degree from Harvard University before going on to become the 44th First Lady of the United States of America. The story of Black America is one of strength, faith, and constant endurance. Still striving, but we have a lot to be proud of. https://t.co/fUhx0HnmhS — Erica Bennett (@EricaANjax) August 5, 2017 DuVerney's tweet even inspired a Columbia University faculty member to share how far his own lineage has come since the days of slavery. My great-grandfather William Johnson Moore was a slave in Tennessee. I am now the head of @nycpublicdesign and on the faculty at @Columbia. pic.twitter.com/y8azy1TReI — Justin Garrett Moore (@jgmoore) August 5, 2017 No doubt, it's a true testament to recognize how far black America has come since the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was adopted into the U.S. Constitution in 1865, 21 years after Shields was born. What a wonderful testimony of what is possible in the USA! https://t.co/IGNQpN85aU — John London (@jlondon8932) August 5, 2017 It's only a matter of time before Malia and Sasha Obama continue to hold up this upward line of endurance and success, and make their great-great-great-great grandma Shields a proud lady. No pressure, girls. WATCH: Michelle Obama's final farewell: "Lead by example with hope, never fear"
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| Suspect Makes Throat-Slashing Motion Before Fatal Shootings at Florida Resort Posted: 05 Aug 2017 07:54 AM PDT  Authorities are still looking for the suspect and have set an $18,000 reward
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| Syria army takes last IS-held town in Homs: monitor Posted: 05 Aug 2017 07:29 PM PDT  Syria's army seized the last Islamic State group stronghold in the country's Homs province on Saturday, clearing their path to attack the jihadists in the country's east, a monitor said. Al-Sukhna, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of the famed ancient city of Palmyra, is the last town on the road to the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where a government garrison has held out under IS siege since early 2015. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said government forces had captured the town after heavy army artillery fire and air strikes by government ally Russia.
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| US 'disturbed by irregularities' in Rwanda landslide vote Posted: 05 Aug 2017 09:38 AM PDT  KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — The United States said Saturday it was "disturbed by irregularities observed during voting" in Rwanda's election, which longtime President Paul Kagame won with nearly 99 percent of the vote.
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| Chinese tourists arrested after Hitler salutes in Germany Posted: 05 Aug 2017 09:25 AM PDT ![Chinese tourists arrested after Hitler salutes in Germany]( "Chinese tourists arrested after Hitler salutes in Germany") German police on Saturday arrested two Chinese tourists for making illegal "Heil Hitler" salutes in front of the historic Reichstag building that houses the German parliament. Berlin police officers say they detained the two men, aged 36 and 49, after they were seen striking the Nazi-era pose and photographing each other with their mobile phones. Germany has strict laws on hate speech and symbols linked to Hitler and the Nazis, who ruled between 1933 and 1945.
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| Doing the Math on Tesla's Solar Roof (Again) Posted: 04 Aug 2017 05:54 PM PDT  Now that Tesla has announced detailed pricing for its Solar Roof, which the company started rolling out in August, potential customers can get an estimate on an installation using the company's o...
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| Israel says plans to close broadcaster Jazeera's offices Posted: 06 Aug 2017 08:20 AM PDT  Israel said on Sunday it planned to close the offices in the Jewish state of Al-Jazeera, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Arab satellite news broadcaster of incitement. Netanyahu had said on July 27 that he wanted Al-Jazeera expelled amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. "Al-Jazeera has become the main tool of Daesh (the Islamic State group), Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran," Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, a member of the Druze community from Netanyahu's Likud party, told a press conference.
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| Despite Kremlin's warnings, Russians flock to Montenegro Posted: 06 Aug 2017 07:42 AM PDT  PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Russian tourists are flocking to Montenegro despite warnings from Moscow against visiting its former ally and the latest NATO-member country.
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| Donald Trump thanked a black entrepreneur on Twitter, but she might not be real Posted: 06 Aug 2017 12:40 PM PDT  UPDATE: Aug. 6, 2017, 5:56 p.m. EDT A representative of heavy.com has contacted Mashable, explaining they have spoken with "the woman whose name was used to create multiple accounts connected to ProTrump45," who claims her identity has been stolen and plans to file a police report. Heavy's story has since been substantially altered, removing mentions of the real Mincy, who forcefully stated that she doesn't sell Trump merchandise or have anything to do with him. Further, Trump's earlier Twitter shout-out now points to the same tweet as before, but from a different account. This one belongs to @AlexandriaM0ra, and features the same profile photo as the earlier fake Mincey account. There's obviously more to this story than anyone knows right now. We'll Original post follows: Sure, fake news runs rampant now more than ever—but don't let it distract you from another threat: fake Twitter accounts. When Donald Trump tweeted his appreciation on Saturday to a "supporter" named Nicole Mincey/@protrump45, Twitter user @Rschooley debunked the account's identity, explaining in a thread exactly why "Nicole" and a variety of other Twitter users were in fact fakes, not actual Trump supporters. Buckle up—this gets interesting. SEE ALSO: Meet the Twitter bot that will give you all the Trump news you ever need So the person Trump retweeted today that's accused of being a bot. She joined Twitter in January, a full blown Trump believer. — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 Schooley shared an article from Heavy.com that lays out a vague backstory for Nicole: she's a hardworking student who grew up in poverty and went on to start a pro-Trump apparel company. The Heavy article makes a case that Nicole is not the "bot" some have proclaimed her to be, pointing to social media accounts belonging to a woman named Ahyanah Nicole Mincy. It's worth noting that none of the publicly visible activity on those other accounts makes mention of Trump or the ProTrump45 business. Further, Schooley points out that all the information uncovered in that article come from another source, the Daily Caller, and that other article seems to have been provided to the site by Nicole herself. I didn't see any real autobiographical details, such as college name or parents name. — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 We could find only one other instance of ProTrump45's Nicole Mincey appearing in the media, in an apparent interview with WorldNetDaily, a right-leaning news aggregator. Schooley doesn't discuss the WND story, but it's worth noting that the quotes attributed to Nicole are as vague about her life and background as they are in her Daily Caller story. The plot thickens even further here, as other, apparently fake Twitter users — all of which tweet each other — enter the picture. Schooley found one account, allegedly belonging to Kendra Manning, that actively supports Nicole. Manning claims to be a woman who blogs at Buzzfeed — though she has no bylines on the site. Photos of her on the account are also suspicious: most — possibly all — seem to come from Placeit, a stock photo service that includes pictures of young people in blank shirts. Just your typical young hipster Trump supporter. https://t.co/EyRTxxtfRk pic.twitter.com/KyCUHM67ap — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 Nicole also has a connection to Placeit. Her old, since-changed Twitter profile photo — which originally appeared (and still appears, as of this writing) in the Heavy story — was also from the stock image site. The woman in Heavy's header image (on the right in the tweet below) is just an extreme close-up of the woman in the stock photo, on the left. #6 She isn't a real person. pic.twitter.com/p81dYu2rNV — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 At some point after Schooley's above tweet, Heavy changed the article's top image to one of Ahyanah Nicole Mincy. See here: Different day, different photographImage: Meanwhile, Manning's Medium account — which, as of this writing, is suspended — has a blog post about Nicole and her Trump-focused apparel company—only it's the same exact piece as the ones that appear in the Daily Caller and elsewhere. Schooley also found that many of the bots, Nicole's included, circulate memes and fake news stories. Literally dozens of these memes on this bot account. pic.twitter.com/i4k31mrrZi — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 While diversity might be an issue in Trump's base, in Schooley's view that definitely isn't the case when it comes to fake followers. Never let it be said that Trump doesn't have diverse fictional followers. pic.twitter.com/qbt7UdmOpK — Schooley (@Rschooley) August 6, 2017 Despite overwhelming evidence provided by Schooley's detailed theory, the safest bet to confirm whether or not the person behind the account and ProTrump45 store is real is to hear from the women in the photographs themselves. Mashable has reached out to Ahyanah Nicole Mincy — not through @ProTrump45 — for further clarification. With that being said—will the real Nicole Mincey please stand up? WATCH: 5 things millennials have ruined
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| Woman Died at the Bottom of Grand Canyon After She Ran Out of Water Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:14 AM PDT  She was hiking with two school-aged children
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| Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak says he and Michael Flynn discussed 'simple things' Posted: 05 Aug 2017 08:33 AM PDT  The former Russian ambassador to the US has insisted that he discussed merely "the most simple things" in his conversation with Michael Flynn, Mr Trump's former national security adviser, as reports in the US suggested federal investigators were tightening their noose on Mr Flynn. Mr Flynn was forced to resign in February, becoming the shortest-lived national security adviser in history, after it emerged that he had misled Mike Pence, the vice president, about his discussions with Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. Profile | Sergey Kislyak Senior officials who have reviewed the phone call between the two men told The Washington Post they thought Mr Flynn's statements to Mr Kislyak were inappropriate, if not illegal, because he suggested that the Kremlin could expect a reprieve from the sanctions. Mr Flynn, now being investigated as part of Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's involvement in the US election, has always insisted he did not discuss sanctions. And on Saturday Mr Kislyak, speaking for the first time about his conversations with the former army lieutenant general, denied anything improper had taken place. "We only spoke about the most simple things, but the communication was completely correct, calm, absolutely transparent," said Mr Kislyak, in a panel discussion on Russian television. "In any case, there were no secrets on our side." He said they only discussed matters of mutual importance. "There are a number of issues which are important for cooperation between Russia and the United States - most of all, terrorism. And that was one of the things we discussed," he added. Profile | General Michael Flynn Mr Kislyak left Washington in July, ending his tenure as ambassador. Mr Kislyak said he did not believe it was right to speak of a new Cold War between the US and Russia. "Ideology is not the problem in our relationship," he said. "The problem in our relationship is the Americans' sense of absolute exceptionalism and their supposed right to tell everyone else what is good and what's bad." Mr Kislyak has been at the centre of numerous controversial meetings involving senior Trump administration officials. Attorney General Jeff Sessions removed himself from the FBI's investigation into alleged Russian election interference after failing to disclose two meetings with Mr Kislyak at his confirmation hearings. Mr Sessions has said the pair did not discuss anything related to the campaign, but the Washington Post reported last month that they did indeed discuss campaign-related issues. The newspaper cited current and former US officials who said intelligence agencies monitored subsequent conversations between Mr Kislyak and his superiors in Russia about the meetings with Mr Sessions. Mr Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner also met Mr Kislyak in early December in Trump Tower, with Mr Flynn present. He insists he did not suggest a "secret back channel" for communications, as has been reported, or discuss sanctions. Jared Kushner failed to disclose his own meeting with Sergei Kislyak On Friday the New York Times reported that Mr Mueller, the special counsel now leading the Russia investigation, had asked the White House to hand over documents linked to Mr Flynn. The request is not a subpoena, but is the first known instance of Mr Mueller's investigators having asked the White House for documents, and reflects an expansion of the investigation into Mr Flynn. The paper reported that Mr Mueller's team want to know if work Mr Flynn did with a Turkish-American businessman last year was paid for by the Turkish government, and whether or not that pay was laundered to avoid detection. Preet Bharara, the former New York prosecutor fired by Mr Trump, commented on Twitter that, if the report was true, the news was "much more significant" than Thursday's reports about Mr Mueller's team convening a grand jury for the investigation. If true, request for WH documents re: Flynn's work for Turkey is much more significant than breathless reporting about GJ yesterday. Much. https://t.co/WdWLeD78PZ— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) August 5, 2017 Asked why, a Twitter user commented: "Direct evidence of a crime is being sought, not the mere setting up of an investigative body." Mr Bharara replied: "Precisely."
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