| Tweeters Criticize CNN Over 'Propaganda' Piece On Kim Jong Un's Sister Posted: 10 Feb 2018 11:32 PM PST  CNN is catching heat online for publishing an article about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, which critics claim paints her family's repressive regime in a positive light.
|
| Dan Rather Calls Trump's Defense Of Porter A 'Heat-Seeking Missile' Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:23 PM PST  Long-time CBS anchor Dan Rather called President Donald Trump's defense of Rob Porter, a former White House staff secretary accused of domestic abuse, a "heat-seeking missile" aimed at some of the president's "biggest vulnerabilities."
|
| Police: 2 officers killed responding to 911; suspect held Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:18 PM PST  WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two Ohio police officers responding to a 911 hang-up call were fatally shot on Saturday after entering a townhome in a Columbus suburb and a suspect who police were once warned "carries a gun all the time" was taken into custody, authorities said.
|
| 'Unacceptable' to endanger lives of Russian soldiers in Syria: Moscow Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:22 AM PST  Russia on Saturday called for "restraint" from all parties in Syria and said it considered risking the lives of Russian soldiers "absolutely unacceptable" following large-scale Israeli air strikes inside Syria. "We strongly call on all sides involved to show restraint and avoid all acts that could lead to complicating the situation further," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. "It is absolutely unacceptable to create threats to the lives and security of Russian soldiers that are in the Syrian Arab Republic on the invitation of the legal government to assist in the fight against terrorism," it added.
|
| ICE Set To Deport Undocumented Father Whose 5-Year-Old Son Is Battling Cancer Posted: 10 Feb 2018 07:09 AM PST  Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to deport an undocumented man from Mexico whose child is battling cancer.
|
| Indonesia bus crash kills 27; police say brakes failed Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:49 PM PST  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A packed tourist bus returning from an outing collided with a motorbike and plunged from a hill on Indonesia's main island of Java after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 27 people, police said Sunday.
|
| These Marine Aces Were Some of the Best Fighter Pilots of World War II Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:00 PM PST  Warfare History Network
|
| Boston Radio Host Suspended After Using Fake Asian Accent To Mock Tom Brady's Agent Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:33 PM PST  The popular co-host of a Boston radio sports program has been suspended after using a fake Asian accent to impersonate the agent of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
|
| Top Democrat’s Return Sows Uncertainty for Iran Deal Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:01 PM PST  Iran hawk Bob Menendez's reinstatement as top Democrat on Senate Foreign Relations Committee could alter politics around the nuclear deal.
|
| South Africa's ANC official urges patience during Zuma exit talks Posted: 10 Feb 2018 10:59 PM PST  By Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africans should be patient with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader Cyril Ramaphosa as he holds talks with President Jacob Zuma for a transition of power, the party's national chairperson said on Saturday. Ramaphosa has been lobbying for Zuma to resign and has said he hopes to conclude talks with him "in coming days ... in the interests of the country." Addressing an ANC rally in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, Gwede Mantashe said ANC officials should be fearless and must be able to make difficult decisions, but leaders had a duty to "analyse and mitigate risks".
|
| Dissecting the Syrian Civil war: who's fighting who and where Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:44 AM PST  Damascus, Idlib, Afrin and Aleppo - the blood-soaked regions in Syria's seven-year civil war are the subject of near daily reports of airstrikes, chemical attacks and civilian massacres. The scars of the conflict stretch far and wide - across ethnic divides, religious sects and down family lines - indiscriminately reducing whole cities to rubble, their remains pockmarked with bullet holes of seemingly endless fighting. But behind each region torn apart by the violence lies a distinct power struggle, between government forces, rebel fighters, Islamists, and proxy armies masking the strategic goals of a world powers. These multiple mini civil wars within the greater conflict in Syria make a peaceful solution little more than a distant hope. Here we break down and analyse five of the key battles raging across the country. Afrin Afrin (North West Syria) territorial control map On January 20, Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria codenamed Operation Olive Branch alongside Free Syrian Army (FSA), aimed at dislodging Kurdish militia fighters from the Kurdish canton of Afrin. The battle for Afrin opened up another front in an already complicated, multi-sided war in Syria. The area is controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG), who are considered terrorists by Turkey because of the group's connection to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey sees the capture of Afrin as vital to securing its volatile southern border. Rebel fighters spearheading the battle want to capture the city to help create a land border to Idlib, which is controlled by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The more moderate opposition fighters in the FSA are hoping to oust the al-Qaeda-linked rebels and reclaim the province. Kurds see Afrin as vital to any future autonomous state for the minority. The YPG has around 8,000-10,000 core fighters in Afrin but is gaining new recruits every day, including international volunteers. The offensive has rallied Kurds, who are hoping to use the cover of the war to make their federalist dream a reality. British and other foreign fighters who fought alongside the YPG against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Raqqa have joined the battle, pitting a Nato army against nationals from Nato members. Much of YPG's weaponry is American, including machine guns, rocket launchers and MRAP-type armored vehicles, having been armed by Washington for the Raqqa battle. The YPG is coming up against Turkey, Nato's second-largest military, and some 10,000 rebel fighters. Turkey has sent dozens of special forces and tanks to the border. The campaign has set Ankara on a collision course with Washington, which sees the Kurds are their most important ally in the fight against Isil. The operation was most likely launched with the consent of Russia, which backs President Bashar al-Assad and has troops stationed in Afrin. This is the second time the rebels have played a role in Turkey's efforts to protect its interests in northern Syria. In its previous cross-border Operation Euphrates Shield in August 2016, Ankara had utilised FSA units to establish a wedge between the two Kurdish cantons along Turkey's border. Idlib Idlib (North West Syria) territorial control map Idlib in northern Syria, which covers territory from northern Aleppo all the way to the border with Turkey, is the largest-remaining rebel stronghold. The province fell to the opposition in 2011 and has been fought over by both sides in the conflict ever since. Its important lies in its strategic positioning along the Aleppo to Turkey route - valuable to both the Syrian government and its opposition. Idlib has become something of a holding pen for rebels, who have been displaced from other areas of Syria by Assad forces. FSA rebels from Aleppo were sent there after surrendering to the regime in December 2016. More recently Isil fighters who fled their former territory in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor have also arrived in Idlib and the surrounding countryside, joining HTS, al-Qaeda's Syria branch, which has become the most dominant group in the area. Moderate groups have had to make deals HTS in order to survive against Assad's forces. The province is one of four designated "de-escalation zones" agreed upon by international powers Russia, Iran and Turkey at peace talks. However, the Syrian government has violated this agreement in recent weeks with its latest offensive. The Assad regime, supported by Russian jets, late last year launched its most serious attempt at retaking the province. The region is now pounded daily by both Syrian and Russian air strikes, which has left hundreds dead. Idlib was hit by a sarin gas last April, and the government has carried out an increasing number of chlorine attacks as the battle intensifies. The ground operation, which has seen Syrian troops and allied forces moving in on Idlib from its southern outskirts, has prompted the largest exodus of the nearly seven-year war, sending hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing north towards the closed Turkish border. Experts say the largest and most deadly battle of the conflict will be in Idlib, where as many as two million civilians live. Deir Ezzor Deir Ezzor (East Syria) territorial control map Deir Ezzor has always been seen as one of the prizes of the war. Home to some of the country's most lucrative oil fields, it has been fought over by more parties in the conflict than almost anywhere else. At one time or another, Isil, the Syrian government and its allied Iranian militias, Lebanese Shia militia Hizbollah, Russian troops, US special forces, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have fought for control of the province. Isil took control of the eastern city in a lightning offensive in 2014. It became one of its most important money-makers after the militants began selling off the crude oil from fields to the Syrian regime and Turkey. Both Syrian troops, backed by Iranian militias and Russian air strikes, and the US-backed SDF last year moved in on the city from opposite sides. The Euphrates river, which runs through the middle of Deir Ezzor, became the dividing line between Syrian forces on the western bank to US-backed SDF fighters on the eastern. Iran had wanted control of Deir Ezzor, which is close to Iraq and runs along the Baghdad to Damascus highway, to maintain control of a corridor from Tehran all the way to the Syrian capital. Controlling the route would ensure it could continue to get arms its allied militias in Iraq, Syria and Hizbollah in Lebanon. The US, which has a major base in al-Tanf to the south of Deir Ezzor, is keen to stop Iranian militias and maintain a presence in the area. This week the US-led coalition conducted air strikes against pro-government forces moving in on the area, in the deadliest intentional attack on the regime since the start of the conflict. Despite months of fighting, Isil has still not been fully rooted from the province and continues to launch attacks on both Syrian troops and SDF fighters, leaving large numbers of casualties on both sides. Hundreds of the jihadists are thought to be holding out in the vast Deir Ezzor desert along the Syria-Iraq border. Eastern Ghouta Damascus (South West Syria) territorial control map Eastern Ghouta, which lies in the suburbs of the capital Damascus, has been besieged by Syrian forces for nearly five years. A year longer than the siege of Sarajevo. Assad has seen Eastern Ghouta, one of the first areas to protest against the government in 2011, as an important area to regain. Close to his seat of power in Damascus, he sees the enclave as a thorn in his side. International concern has been rising over the fate of Ghouta, where the United Nations says acute shortages of food and medicine have contributed to the worst malnutrition seen in the Syrian civil war. Assad has continually denied access to the UN and other aid agencies to the enclave, where doctors say 500 people are in desperate need of urgent medical care and evacuation. It is home to almost 400,000 people and is in an agreed "de-escalation zone" under Russian-led ceasefire deals for rebel-held territory, but the fighting there has continued. The area hosts a number of Syrian rebel factions, but it is largely controlled by four main opposition groups. Jaish al-Islam, a hard-line militant group founded in 2013, is the most prominent fighting force in the eastern suburbs of the capital. More extreme groups Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have had some limited control over the suburbs. Rebel fighters are thought to number somewhere between 8,000-12,000. Both the Syrian army and rebels have lost hundreds of fighters and soldiers during these on-and-off skirmishes. Ghouta has been partially destroyed by years of indiscriminate air strikes from Syrian and Russian jets. It was also the site of the deadliest chemical attack of the civil war. More than 1,000 people were killed by sarin gas dropped by Syrian jets in August 2013. The Obama administration had warned that the use of chemicals by the Assad regime would be a "red line" for the US, but it never acted. Aleppo and the surrounding countryside Aleppo (North West Syria) territorial control map Syria's second city of Aleppo is the jewel in the country's crown. The eastern side of the city was badly destroyed by Syrian troops and Russian jets during the years it was under rebel control. It feel back to the regime in December 2016 after it was brought to its knees by blockades and bombing. Rebel fighters and activists who surrendered were bussed to Idlib and other opposition areas along with their families, while many civilians have still not been allowed to return. Resident of Aleppo have been forced to flee again in recent weeks as Syrian forces push up from the southern suburbs. In the north of the province, meanwhile, Turkish troops are heading towards Manbij in Aleppo governorate. Manbij is a key flashpoint in northern Syria -- located northeast of Aleppo city and around 25 miles south of Jarabulus, which sits on the Syrian-Turkish border. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of US air power, helped to root Isil forces from Manbij in August 2016. It is now under the control of the Manbij Military Council, which was set up by the SDF. Manbij marks the beginning of the range of influence of the SDF, the US's proxies, whom Ankara sees as terrorists. US has troops stationed there and has warned Ankara it will not withdraw them should Turkey continue. It is unclear what either Nato member would do when confronted with the other.
|
| Las Vegas shooting: Autopsy on Stephen Paddock reveals little about what triggered the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:23 AM PST  An autopsy report on the Las Vegas gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history has offered little evidence as to what triggered his violent behaviour. Documents revealed Stephen Paddock had anti-anxiety drugs in his system when he opened fire on crowds at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in October 2017. Paddock unleashed a deadly barrage from a high-rise room in the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Vegas strip, killing 58 people and injuring more than 800 others attending the concert below.
|
| California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:15 PM PST ![California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry]( "California science fair project tying race, IQ sparks outcry") SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California school district is investigating how a science project correlating low intelligence with racial groups was on full display at a science fair, where it drew outrage from some students, parents and staff.
|
| Cured French nun named as 70th miracle in Lourdes Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:31 AM PST  The case of a French nun who recovered from a decades-old back problem that prevented her from walking normally has been recognised as the 70th miracle at the fabled French shrine of Lourdes, her church said Sunday. Sister Bernadette Moriau from northern France visited the holy spring in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains in July 2008, aged 69, seeking a cure to her ailment like millions of other pilgrims each year. Sister Bernadette had undergone four unsuccessful operations.
|
| Oroville crisis drives harder look at aging US dams Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:18 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year after the worst structural failures at a major U.S. dam in a generation, federal regulators who oversee California's half-century-old, towering Oroville Dam say they are looking hard at how they overlooked its built-in weaknesses for decades.
|
| Teen Set To Testify Against Man She Accused Of Rape Found Dead Posted: 10 Feb 2018 10:46 AM PST  A teenager who had been set to testify against a Michigan man she said raped her has been found dead in what police are investigating as a homicide.
|
| Rep. Devin Nunes: Dems packed memo full of sources, methods Posted: 11 Feb 2018 07:32 AM PST  House Intelligence Committee chairman says on 'Sunday Morning Futures' that the Democrats included sensitive material in their FISA memo, causing the White House to block its release.
|
| White House Aides Rally Around John Kelly and Defend Trump's Comments on Women Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:14 AM PST  White House staffers took to Sunday morning shows
|
| Israeli jet shot down after bombing Iranian site in Syria Posted: 10 Feb 2018 04:47 PM PST ![Israeli jet shot down after bombing Iranian site in Syria]( "Israeli jet shot down after bombing Iranian site in Syria") By Maayan Lubell and Lisa Barrington JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Anti-aircraft fire downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria on Saturday in the most serious confrontations yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces based across the border. The F-16, one of at least eight Israeli planes despatched in response to what Israel said was an Iranian drone's incursion into its airspace earlier in the day, was hit by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile and crashed in northern Israel, an Israeli official told Reuters. Israel then launched a second and more intensive air raid, hitting what it said were 12 Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria, including Syrian air defense systems.
|
| Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Really 'Operational?' Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:10 AM PST  The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has declared its Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter operational. With the J-20 formally attaining initial operational capability, China becomes the only the second nation-state to have developed an operational stealth aircraft after the United States. Russia, which is currently developing the Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA, is running behind that pack since its new fighter will not enter operational service for some years to come.
|
| Johnny Weir Says He's A Commentator, Not A 'Complimentator' Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:37 AM PST  Johnny Weir made it clear Saturday he's from the tell-it-like-it-is school of broadcasting.
|
| US Navy probes alleged drug use by sailors in Japan Posted: 09 Feb 2018 11:04 PM PST  The US Navy said Saturday it was probing sailors at a base in Japan over alleged drug use and vowed no tolerance for any misconduct. "Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is investigating Yokosuka-based sailors for alleged drug use and distribution," the 7th Fleet said, referring to its home base southwest of Tokyo. "The Navy has zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations involving misconduct of our sailors, navy civilians and family members very seriously," it said in a comment emailed to AFP.
|
| Pence upstaged by 2 Koreas' efforts to warm ties Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:04 AM PST  GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's efforts to keep North Korea from stealing the show at the Winter Olympics proved to be short-lived, quickly drowned out by the images of the two Koreas marching and competing together, as the South appeared to look favorably on warming ties on the Korean Peninsula.
|
| Long Island man arrested on cockfighting charges Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:42 PM PST  ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Police searching for drugs at a home in New York discovered more than 60 caged roosters, a mistreated pit bull, a pheasant and equipment used to stage illegal cockfighting matches.
|
| Investor Soros pledges new donation to pro-EU group Posted: 11 Feb 2018 03:39 PM PST  (Reuters) - Billionaire financier George Soros will pledge an additional 100,000 pounds ($138,130) to Best for Britain, a campaign group seeking to keep Britain in the European Union, the group said in an email to Reuters. Soros, who donated 400,000 pounds to the campaign last week, will match any donations given to Best for Britain up to 100,000 pounds after attacks against him in the right-wing press, the group said. "I am happy to take the fight to those who have tried to use a smear campaign, not arguments, to prop up their failing case," Soros told the Guardian, which had reported on the donation earlier on Sunday.
|
| 'We Stand With Women,' RNC Spokeswoman Says Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:16 AM PST  The Republican Party stands with women said a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, despite a whole host of positions taken by the GOP in recent months that seem to contradict the statement.
|
| Eiffel Tower Forced to Close as Paris Is Pummeled by Snow Posted: 10 Feb 2018 11:49 AM PST  Snow and rain shut down the Eiffel Tower and covered Paris in a white coat
|
| Three Cameroon soldiers killed in restive anglophone region Posted: 11 Feb 2018 12:38 PM PST  Cameroon's national youth holiday was marred by violence on Sunday, with three soldiers killed and a local official feared kidnapped by suspected separatists in the country's restive English-speaking regions. Authorities imposed a week-long curfew in the troubled areas on Saturday, citing fears of an "imminent" attack by separatists after numerous online threats. Army spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck on Sunday said the three soldiers were killed in the southwestern village of Kembong, adding that there had been some "scattered attacks".
|
| Donald Trump warns Israel its settlements are 'complicating' search for Middle East peace Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:06 AM PST  President Donald Trump has warned Israel that its West Bank settlements risk complicating efforts to find peace in the Middle East. In an interview published on Sunday, Mr Trump also told an Israeli newspaper that he was sceptical that either side - Palestinians or Israelis - were ready to make peace. The American president angered Palestinians in December when he recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and then threatened to withhold aid unless their leaders entered talks. But after going out of his way to talk up close ties with Israel during his first year in office, Mr Trump offered a more even handed approach in the interview with the conservative newspaper Yisrael Hayom by offering a cool assessment of Israeli settlement building. "The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements," he said. Donald Trump has talked up ties to Israel during his first year in office Credit: Reuters Israel broke ground on its first new settlement in the occupied West Bank in nearly 20 years when work began on Amichai last June despite requests from Mr Trump for a hold on construction as he tried to revive a moribund peace process. Settlements are considered illegal under international law. The White House had been expected to unveil a new peace proposal in the spring but the timetable has been in doubt ever since Palestinian leaders said they would play no part in a US-mediated process following Washington's recognition of Jerusalem. In the new interview, Mr Trump offered no firm timetable. "Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace, they are not looking to make peace," he said. "And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens." But he stood by his controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and described it as the highlight of his first 12 months. "I think Jerusalem was a very big point and I think it was a very important point," he said. Jerusalem - Israel "The capital, having Jerusalem be your great capital, was a very important thing to a lot of people. It was a very important pledge that I made and I fulfilled my pledge," he said. Israel claims the whole of the city as its capital. Palestinians also lay claim to East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel in 1967 - as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Previous US administrations have said the status of the city should form part of peace talks. Meanwhile Rex Tillerson, Mr Trump's secretary of state, arrived in Egypt on Sunday at the start of a five-nation tour which is likely to be dominated by growing regional unrest and concern about US policies in the Middle East.
|
| Rose McGowan Responds To Former Manager's Death Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:43 PM PST  Actress Rose McGowan addressed the death of former manager Jill Messick in a brief Instagram caption Saturday, three days after Messick's suicide.
|
| Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare Posted: 10 Feb 2018 03:01 PM PST ![Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare]( "Carnival lights up Rio despite crime wave, yellow fever scare") Carnival festivities took over Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, as revelers danced and drank at block parties with names like "fire in the underpants," despite an extended crime wave in the city and a spike in yellow fever cases throughout Brazil. Over 6 million people, including 1.5 million visitors, are expected to take to the streets of Rio for the annual celebrations, which pit the city's 13 best samba schools against one another in ornate parades that can cost over $2 million a piece.
|
| No Olympic truce for US, North Korea in Pyeongchang Posted: 10 Feb 2018 02:17 AM PST  PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Forget an Olympic truce. The rhetoric war between North Korea and the Trump administration hasn't skipped a beat in Pyeongchang.
|
| Police shoot man during sword attack on Indonesian church Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:11 PM PST  SLEMAN, Indonesia (AP) — Police in Indonesia shot a sword-wielding man who attacked a church congregation during Sunday Mass, injuring four people, including a German priest.
|
| China Claims That It Has Tested a Mid-Course Missile Defense System Posted: 11 Feb 2018 05:56 AM PST  This week, China's Ministry of Defense posted a terse statement announcing a test. "China carried out a land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory on Feb. 5, 2018 and achieved the desired test objective," the statement said. Many believe China was testing its SC-19 missile.
|
| U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:56 PM PST ![U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work]( "U.S. rail official steps down after questions raised over outside work") A senior Trump administration rail safety official resigned on Saturday after questions were raised about whether he was conducting outside work after taking the post, the U.S. Transportation Department said. Politico reported Saturday it had raised questions about whether Hall was simultaneously working as a public relations consultant for a Mississippi sheriff's department. Hall, who started work in June as deputy FRA administrator and served as acting administrator for more than six months, took a leave of absence last month for family reasons.
|
| The RNC Asked Tweeters To Take A Donald Trump Approval Poll. They Did So With Glee. Posted: 11 Feb 2018 12:35 AM PST  The Republican National Committee is being mocked online after it asked people to take part in this February approval poll for President Donald Trump: We want to hear from YOU.
|
| Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit West Bank Posted: 10 Feb 2018 06:48 AM PST  Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian prime minister to visit the occupied West Bank where he held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a Middle East tour. The visit, which came weeks after Modi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen as an Indian effort to balance its strengthening ties with the Jewish state. "I have once again assured President Abbas that India is bound by a promise to take care of the Palestinian people's interests," Modi said following a meeting with the Palestinian leader.
|
| Scaramucci talks Dems' FISA memo, Rob Porter and John Kelly Posted: 10 Feb 2018 07:20 AM PST  Former White House communications director shares his perspective on 'Fox & Friends.'
|
| False alarms highlight weaknesses in national alert system Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:57 AM PST  Weather junkie John Grosso knew it was highly unlikely a monster wave was barreling toward the Connecticut coast. Still, when a tsunami warning appeared out of the blue on his phone Tuesday, he felt a twinge of fear. His co-workers, who got the same alert, asked whether they should evacuate.
|
| Police shoot man during sword attack at Indonesian church Posted: 11 Feb 2018 01:07 AM PST  Indonesian police shot and wounded a man who attacked a church congregation with a sword during Sunday Mass, seriously injuring four people including a priest and destroying Christian imagery. "Four people have been injured in the incident -- quite seriously -- but we still cannot determine the perpetrator's motive," Yogyakarta police spokesman Yulianto told AFP. A few minutes after the service started, a congregation member ran into the church with a bleeding head chased by a young man holding a sharp weapon, said worshipper Andhi Cahyo.
|
| Israeli jet crashes after striking targets in Syria Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:28 AM PST  Israel struck a dozen Syrian and Iranian targets inside Syria on Saturday after an Israeli fighter jet crashed under fire from Syrian air defences, the military said. The confrontation was the most serious between arch foes Israel and Iran since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011. Israel's raids came after it intercepted what it said was an Iranian drone entering its airspace from Syria. It marked the first time Israel publicly acknowledged attacking what it identified as Iranian targets in Syria since the war began. The Israeli military issued a warning to Tehran, saying it was responsible for the drone that entered Israel, which it labelled an "attack." It said its reprisals after the exchange were "large-scale" raids. The remains of an Israel F-16 that crashed after coming under fire by Syrian air defences during attacks against "Iranian targets" Credit: AFP "A few minutes ago, (Israeli aircraft)... targeted the Syrian Aerial Defence System and Iranian targets in Syria," a military statement said. "Twelve targets, including three aerial defence batteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran's military establishment in Syria were attacked." Israel has repeatedly warned in recent weeks against the presence of Iranian forces in neighbouring Syria. The Israeli pilots of the crashed F16 were reported alive, although one was severely wounded. According to the Israeli military, the confrontation began with a drone entering its airspace. Israeli forces identified an "Iranian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)" launched from Syria and intercepted it in Israeli airspace with a combat helicopter, a statement said. They then "targeted the Iranian control systems in Syria that sent the UAV into Israeli airspace," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus tweeted. "Massive Syrian anti-air fire, one F16 crashed in Israel, pilots safe." Police said the F16 crashed in the Jezreel valley in northern Israel. It was not clear if the jet crashed as a direct result of the Syrian fire. According to a separate military statement, "multiple anti-aircraft missiles were fired at IAF (Israel Air Force) aircraft." "The pilots of one of the aircraft abandoned as per procedure. The pilots landed in Israeli territory and were taken to the hospital for medical treatment." Conricus said the army had confirmed "accurate hits of (the) Iranian UAV control facility" in Syria. "Iran is responsible for this severe violation of Israeli sovereignty," Conricus said on Twitter. Syria said its air defences repelled two Israeli raids on its military bases in the centre of the country, hitting more than one warplane during the first. "At dawn, the Zionist enemy carried out a new aggression against one of our military bases in the centre of the country," state news agency SANA reported. "Our air defences repelled it and hit more than one plane." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the seven-year civil war, said the Israeli raids had targeted several military bases in the east of the central province of Homs. It said the bases are used by both Iranian and Russian military personnel deployed in support of the regime. Air raid sirens had gone off in Israel in the early hours of the morning following the UAV interception and raids. The army said it was "monitoring events and is fully prepared for further action, depending on assessments and necessity." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held a series of meetings in recent months with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Iran's influence in war-torn Syria and Lebanon. Netanyahu has been seeking to persuade Russia to limit Iran's presence near Israeli territory and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria. Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah - which is backed by Tehran - all support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war. In a meeting in Moscow last month, Netanyahu reiterated Israel's concerns of what he described as the attempts of Iran to establish a military presence in Syria and produce accurate weapons against Israel there. "We won't accept either of those, and will act according to our needs," Netanyahu said following the meeting with Putin. Israel remain technically at war with Syria and occupies a swathe of the strategic Golan Heights that it seized in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. On Tuesday, Netanyahu took members of his security cabinet for a tour of the Israeli-occupied side, where they were briefed by the military on the situation. "We want peace, but are prepared for any scenario, and suggest that nobody tries us," he said. Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the Syrian war, but acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes there to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah.
|
| Corrected: Qualcomm warns of customer losses, legal hazards to Broadcom buyout Posted: 10 Feb 2018 04:00 AM PST  In a filing that followed up on its letter to Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan on Thursday rebutting his latest offer, the San Diego-based company laid out more detail on its reservations about the deal. It said two customers who provide more than $1 billion in chip revenue had said they would likely move designs away from Qualcomm if the deal went through, citing a lack of confidence in Broadcom's ability to continue to lead in technology. Broadcom, which makes connectivity chips used in products ranging from mobile phones to servers, first approached Qualcomm in November.
|
| Border collie Fame(US) wins Westminster agility contest Posted: 10 Feb 2018 08:07 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — When your name is famous, you've got to live up to it.
|
| Man Raped High School Student as She Died From Drug Overdose, Police Say Posted: 10 Feb 2018 05:38 PM PST  Brian Roberto Varela was charged with manslaughter, second-degree rape and controlled substance homicide in the death of Alyssa Mae Noceda
|
