| The wall around Donald Trump’s taxes cracks, a little Posted: 14 Mar 2017 07:19 PM PDT  One of the most closely guarded secrets in politics — Donald Trump's income taxes — became a little bit less mysterious late Tuesday as prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston and MSNBC published a partial copy of the president's 2005 federal filing. The documents, whose publication drew howls of outrage from the White House, did not include the most important financial data that might be collected from Trump's full returns, including the sources of his income, his partners, to whom he paid interest, and other relationships that might feed concerns that he faces unprecedented conflicts of interest. The documents — just two pages of his filing — showed Trump would personally have paid about $5.3 million in federal taxes on income of over $150 million, after a write-down of about $103 million.
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| North Korea Threatens ‘Merciless’ Attacks Over U.S. Military Drills Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:44 PM PDT  Just as Sec. of State Tillerson is set to arrive in Japan, joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have exacerbated tensions with North Korea.
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| GOP Rep. Barton tells man to ‘shut up’ in testy town hall Posted: 14 Mar 2017 12:46 PM PDT  A Texas congressman told a constituent to "shut up" in a heated moment caught on video. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, was holding a town hall last weekend in the city of Frost, the Dallas Morning News reported, when a man confronted him about his voting record pertaining to violence against women. "Given your voting record opposing protecting women from violence, will you make a commitment to us today — make a promise — that you will reach out to Congresswoman Jackie Speier and work with her to see this bill successfully through Congress?" the man asked, drawing applause from the crowd.
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| 'Where's Winston?': Dying Mom's Last Words Launch Search for Missing Baby Posted: 15 Mar 2017 11:37 AM PDT  Cops say Mandi Mangas was shot dead by the father of her baby, who was allegedly kidnapped.
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| Plowing through Hartford, CT Posted: 14 Mar 2017 06:19 AM PDT  ABC News' Adrienne Bankert hits the snow-covered streets with Ruben Olmeda, owner of DCJ Snow Removal, for a look at how snow plow drivers in Connecticut are dealing with Tuesday's nor'easter.
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| New Details Released from CBO Report On the Republican Health Care Plan Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Although Trump promised not to touch Medicaid and to make insurance available to everyone, his plan would leave 24 million more Americans uninsured over 10 years compared to Obamacare, according to the CBO.
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| Woman with Down's Syndrome presents weather on French television Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:29 PM PDT  Melanie Segard, a 21-year-old woman with Down's Syndrome, broke new ground for the disabled on Tuesday by presenting the weather forecast on French national TV. Segard provided a summary of the weekend weather on France 2, achieving a personal goal that she hopes will also boost awareness for people with Down's. France 2 heard of the buzz and gave her a chance.
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| 3 service men killed in military plane crash in New Mexico Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:44 PM PDT  Three service members assigned to a special operations unit were killed after a single-engine reconnaissance and surveillance plane crashed in eastern New Mexico during a training flight, the Air Force said.
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| EU headscarf ban ruling sparks faith group backlash Posted: 14 Mar 2017 10:15 AM PDT ![EU headscarf ban ruling sparks faith group backlash]( "EU headscarf ban ruling sparks faith group backlash") By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Companies may ban staff from wearing Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols under certain conditions, the European Union's top court ruled on Tuesday, setting off a storm of complaint from rights groups and religious leaders. In its first ruling on an issue that has become highly charged across Europe, the Court of Justice (ECJ) found a Belgian firm which had a rule that employees who dealt with customers should not wear visible religious or political symbols may not have discriminated against a Muslim receptionist it dismissed for wearing a headscarf. French conservative candidate Francois Fillon hailed the ECJ ruling as "an immense relief" to companies and workers that would contribute to "social peace".
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| White House: Kellyanne Conway was joking when she talked about microwave surveillance Posted: 14 Mar 2017 01:05 PM PDT  With White House counselor Kellyanne Conway sitting nearby in the briefing room, press secretary Sean Spicer insisted she was joking when she made her infamous comment about microwave surveillance. Spicer was attempting to play off comments Conway had made in a Sunday interview with the Record, a New Jersey newspaper.
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| Headphone batteries explode on flight to Australia Posted: 15 Mar 2017 02:54 AM PDT  A woman whose headphones caught fire on a plane suffered burns to her face and hands, Australian officials said Wednesday as they warned about the dangers of battery-operated devices in-flight. The passenger was listening to music on her own battery-operated headphones as she dozed about two hours into the trip from Beijing to Melbourne on February 19 when there was a loud explosion. "As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face," she told the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) which investigated the incident.
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| U.S. Plains wildfires ravage ranches in three states Posted: 15 Mar 2017 07:38 AM PDT ![U.S. Plains wildfires ravage ranches in three states]( "U.S. Plains wildfires ravage ranches in three states") When the Schwerzenbach family saw a wildfire racing toward their remote ranch in Lipscomb, Texas, there was no time to run. "We had a minute or two and then it was over us," said 56-year-old Nancy Schwerzenbach. The fire, moving up to 70 miles per hour (112 kph), was one of several across more than 2 million acres (810,000 hectares) that hit the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas last week, causing millions of dollars of damage and killing thousands of livestock.
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| Republicans condemn King’s incendiary comments on immigration Posted: 14 Mar 2017 08:18 AM PDT  The backlash to Rep. Steve King's incendiary comments about immigration continued Tuesday, hours after the Iowa Republican appeared to double down on a tweet critics said was his open endorsement of white nationalism. At the White House, press secretary Sean Spicer said King's comments were "not a point of view" that President Trump shares. King's sparked a firestorm on Sunday by suggesting that Western civilization is threatened by the influx of immigrants and refugees.
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| 2-Year-Old Left Brain Dead After Alleged Brutal Beating From 17-Year-Old Babysitter Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:36 AM PDT  Police said more charges are forthcoming.
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| Insured Through Your Job? Medicaid? The ACA? Here's What Could Change For You Posted: 13 Mar 2017 08:53 PM PDT  It's even clearer now how much the GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act will change health insurance for just about everyone. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office Monday released i...
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| Malaysia says Kim body embalmed to halt decomposition Posted: 14 Mar 2017 02:40 AM PDT  Malaysia said Tuesday that the body of Kim Jong-Nam has been embalmed to stop it decomposing, as it lies unclaimed in a Kuala Lumpur morgue a month after his assassination. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also announced the deportation of 50 North Korean workers in an apparent exception to a departure ban imposed after the killing of the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un.
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| US Air Force Plane Crashes In New Mexico Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:03 PM PDT  The crash occurred during a training exercise Tuesday evening and those on board are feared dead, according to local reports.
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| Ethiopia trash dump death toll rises to 113 Posted: 15 Mar 2017 11:19 AM PDT ![Ethiopia trash dump death toll rises to 113]( "Ethiopia trash dump death toll rises to 113") By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The death toll from a landslide at a dump in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has reached 113, officials said on Wednesday, as the government declared three days of national mourning. Flags flew at half mast to mark the disaster that occurred at the 50-year-old Reppi dump on Saturday evening. "The total number of dead has reached 113, of which 38 are male and 75 are female," said Dagmawit Moges, a spokeswoman for the city. "At least 80 other residents are missing," said Temesghen Abraham, a resident at the landfill.
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| ‘I don’t even know where the satire begins’: Rep. Quigley bewildered by White House defense of wiretapping assertion Posted: 14 Mar 2017 07:14 AM PDT  Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., slammed White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday, comparing the daily media briefing and its defenses of President Trump to self-parody. The comment was in reference to Monday's press briefing, in which Spicer attempted to clarify Trump's evidence-free allegation that former President Barack Obama wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower prior to the election. Quigley, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, rejected this defense, saying, "These are extraordinarily serious allegations about the former president and our entire system.
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| Photos of the day - March 15, 2017 Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:59 PM PDT ![Photos of the day - March 15, 2017]( "Photos of the day - March 15, 2017") Doctors and medical personnel scuffle with riot police during a march in front of the Finance Ministry in Athens, Greece; House Select Committee members speak to the media about the ongoing Russia investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; an ultra-Orthodox Jew gets hit by a police water cannon during a protest against Israeli army conscription, in Jerusalem. These are some of the photos of the day. (AP/EPA/Getty/Reuters/Zuma)
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| Climate change is making people sick: US doctors Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:47 AM PDT  From rising levels of air pollution to increased water contamination and a widening range for disease-carrying mosquitoes, climate change is making people sick, a coalition of 11 US medical groups said Wednesday. Known as the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, the group represents more than half of US doctors, and aims to help policy makers understand the health dangers of global warming, and what must be done to guard against it in the coming years. "Doctors in every part of our country see that climate change is making Americans sicker," said Mona Sarfaty, a physician and director of the new consortium.
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| Police detained congressman who refused to leave ICE office Posted: 14 Mar 2017 09:47 AM PDT ![Police detained congressman who refused to leave ICE office]( "Police detained congressman who refused to leave ICE office") Police placed Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D) of Illinois in handcuffs briefly on Monday after he refused to leave a federal immigration office without getting answers about the fate of several detainees facing deportation. Mr. Gutiérrez says he met with the regional Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE, director at a Chicago immigration office. After receiving several warnings from officials, the congressman and other demonstrators were placed in plastic handcuffs and briefly detained.
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| Police chasing 1,000s of tips in killing of 2 Indiana teens Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:44 AM PDT  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A month after two teenage girls were found slain after vanishing during a northern Indiana hiking trip, investigators said Tuesday they continue following up on thousands of tips that have led officers to interview more 300 people for possible involvement in the case.
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| The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 might not even be the best phones Samsung unveils this year Posted: 14 Mar 2017 08:17 AM PDT 
Samsung is reportedly working on a smartphone that will be a step above regular flagship handsets, a device that'll deliver "luxurious design and high-quality" beyond anything Samsung has done so far, including the unreleased Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8. That smartphone should be unveiled officially later this year, according to a new report, although it might not actually hit store shelves until some point in 2018. Samsung's unnamed smartphone was apparently showcased to a limited number of partners at MWC 2017, as the South Korean giant is trying to prevent leaks. What's so special about this device? The screen. According to ETNews' sources, this is the foldable Samsung handset we've heard about in recent rumors. Samsung seems committed to mass-producing a few thousands units this year, and the company apparently wants to release them to testers and partners in the third quarter. The trial run should help Samsung test the quality and performance of the phone, while simultaneously offering the company a way to test the market ahead of a wider release. Assuming the report is accurate and Samsung sticks to this schedule, we might see the device unveiled at IFA 2017 later this year. Mass-production should start in 2018 after Samsung gauges demand for such a device. It's unclear at this time what the first foldable smartphone from Samsung will have to offer other than the foldable OLED display itself. Pricing details also have not been mentioned. Samsung's prototype won't be the only foldable smartphone we'll see in the near future. Apparently, Samsung is in a race with various Chinese handset makers to become the first company in the world to release a handset with a foldable display. Lenovo, Oppo, and Vivo might be working on foldable phones, the report notes, with the help of local display makers including BOE, Visionox, and AUO. Samsung Display, meanwhile, will obviously provide flexible OLED screens to Samsung for the foldable phone. Notably absent from the report is Apple. Reports in late 2016 claimed that Apple is also interested in making foldable iPhones. The same ETNews said in mid-December that LG Display is looking to mass-produce foldable screens for a number of partners, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
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| Mitch McConnell weighs in on latest on President Trump's taxes Posted: 15 Mar 2017 09:23 AM PDT  McConnell explains whether he thinks President Trump should release his taxes given the recent release of part of his 2005 return.
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| Russia Denies Reports It Deployed Special Forces In Egypt Posted: 13 Mar 2017 11:05 PM PDT  Amid growing concerns of the U.S., Russia has reportedly made it clear that it will go to any extent to establish its role in the war-torn North African nation.
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| U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year Posted: 14 Mar 2017 04:12 AM PDT ![U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year]( "U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year") The number of people filing their taxes with the Internal Revenue Service is running well below last year. The tax deadline is April 18 instead of the traditional April 15, which falls on a Saturday this year. The most significant reason, however, and one cited by the IRS, is that a new regulation delayed refunds by taxpayers claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit until Feb. 15.
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| North Carolina ex-gov: LGBT law backlash hurting job search Posted: 14 Mar 2017 06:35 AM PDT ![North Carolina ex-gov: LGBT law backlash hurting job search]( "North Carolina ex-gov: LGBT law backlash hurting job search") RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's former governor says he's had trouble finding a job, even part-time teaching positions, because of backlash from legislation he signed involving transgender rights.
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| Vietnam seizes 100 kgs of rhino horn from Kenya Posted: 14 Mar 2017 09:33 AM PDT  Vietnam police seized more than 100 kilograms of rhino horn smuggled into the country in suitcases from Kenya on Tuesday, the latest illegal haul in the wildlife trafficking hub. Vietnam is a hot market for rhino horn, believed to have medicinal properties and is in high demand among the communist nation's growing middle class. The country is a popular transit point for illegal animal products, which often move from Africa through Vietnam to other parts of Asia.
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| Veteran U.S. diplomat Patterson out of running for Pentagon post Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:21 PM PDT ![Veteran U.S. diplomat Patterson out of running for Pentagon post]( "Veteran U.S. diplomat Patterson out of running for Pentagon post") Veteran U.S. diplomat Anne Patterson is out of the running to under secretary of defense for policy, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, depriving Defense Secretary Jim Mattis of his choice for his top policy adviser. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said Patterson ran into resistance on Capitol Hill that might have made it hard for her to win confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Washington Post first reported that Patterson, who had previously served as the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East and as ambassador to Egypt, Pakistan, Colombia and El Salvador, was no longer a candidate.
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| Rethinking Your Career for a Better Retirement Posted: 15 Mar 2017 06:50 AM PDT ![Rethinking Your Career for a Better Retirement]( "Rethinking Your Career for a Better Retirement") No matter where you are in your career, it's never too late to make a change. While you might decide to move to an industry you simply like better, there are many other good reasons to switch jobs. If you find a position with better benefits, you might be able to set yourself up for a more comfortable retirement.
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| Navy bribery scandal widens as more sordid details emerge Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:15 PM PDT  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Officers in a burgeoning Navy bribery scandal called themselves the Lion King's Harem, the Wolfpack, the Cool Kids and the Brotherhood. They scouted for others who might also accept sex, trips and other lavish perks from a Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard" in exchange for classified information.
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| Taiwan Raises Concerns Over China's Actions In South China Sea Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:40 AM PDT  On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Beijing has started fresh construction work in the disputed waters.
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| Senate confirms Trump intelligence nominee, security adviser Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:27 PM PDT ![Senate confirms Trump intelligence nominee, security adviser]( "Senate confirms Trump intelligence nominee, security adviser") By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to confirm former Republican senator Dan Coats to be President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence and to approve Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster's transfer to become his national security adviser. The vote was 85-12 to confirm Coats, who also served as ambassador to Germany under former President George W. Bush. The only Republican who voted against Coats was Senator Rand Paul, one of the Senate's leading privacy advocates, as are several of the Democrats who also voted against Coats.
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| Thousands petition New York to keep 'Fearless Girl' Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:34 AM PDT  A sculpture of a courageous young girl installed temporarily in New York to champion gender diversity is so popular that thousands of people have signed a petition demanding it remain permanently. Called "Fearless Girl" and created by US artist Kristen Visbal, the bronze girl stands defiant, hands on hips and chin jutting out, directly challenging the famous "Charging Bull" statue that is a symbol of Wall Street. It was installed on March 7 by investment company State Street Global Advisors on the eve of International Women's Day to create awareness for the need for greater gender diversity on company boards.
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| Who wins, who loses in US Republican health care plan Posted: 14 Mar 2017 01:11 PM PDT  The Republican plan to ditch "Obamacare" and implement new reforms to the US health care system would leave millions of Americans without insurance. Under the new plan, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the number of uninsured will grow by 14 million in 2018, and by 2026 to 24 million more than the number projected to be living without insurance under the current Affordable Care Act. "In the academic community, people were surprised at how high the figures were," Colleen Carey, an economics professor at Cornell University and an expert in health care regulation, told AFP.
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| Study: Stopping global warming only way to save coral reefs Posted: 15 Mar 2017 01:15 PM PDT  SYDNEY (AP) — Reducing pollution and curbing overfishing won't prevent the severe bleaching that is killing coral at catastrophic rates, according to a study of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. In the end, researchers say, the only way to save the world's coral from heat-induced bleaching is with a war on global warming.
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| U.S. carrier joins South Korea drills, North Korea warns of 'merciless' strikes Posted: 14 Mar 2017 04:29 AM PDT ![U.S. carrier joins South Korea drills, North Korea warns of 'merciless' strikes]( "U.S. carrier joins South Korea drills, North Korea warns of 'merciless' strikes") By Hongji Kim and Sang-gyu Lim ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON (Reuters) - As the USS Carl Vinson plowed through seas off South Korea on Tuesday, rival North Korea warned the United States of "merciless" attacks if the carrier infringes on its sovereignty or dignity during U.S.-South Korean drills. F-18 fighter jets took off from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered carrier in a dramatic display of U.S. firepower amid rising tension with the North, which has alarmed its neighbors with two nuclear tests and a series of missile launches since last year. "While this is a routine deployment for the Carl Vinson strike group, really the centerpiece for us ... is this exercise we're doing with the ROK navy called 'Foal Eagle'," Rear Admiral James W. Kilby, commander of the Carrier Strike Group 1, told reporters, referring to South Korea as the Republic of Korea.
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| 911 Dispatcher, Police Officer Disciplined in Connection With Tamir Rice Case Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:36 PM PDT  An official ruled the dispatcher did not follow protocol and an off-duty officer involved hadn't informed bosses he was moonlighting as a security officer.
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| Six Years Later, People Are Moving Back to Fukushima Posted: 14 Mar 2017 10:22 AM PDT  But hunting radioactive wild boar is now a civic duty.
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| Ex-member corrects, challenges Vatican over sex abuse board Posted: 14 Mar 2017 06:19 AM PDT  VATICAN CITY (AP) — The clash between a former member of Pope Francis' sex abuse advisory commission and the Vatican heated up Tuesday, as prominent Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins challenged a top Vatican cardinal over his claims that his office had cooperated with the commission.
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| Galaxy S8 Might Have Pressure-Sensitive Fingerprint Scanner Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:21 AM PDT  iPhone 8, and Samsung's Note 8 and Galaxy S8 are all expected to have pressure-sensitive features.
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| Trump envoy, Netanyahu discuss peace and settlements Posted: 14 Mar 2017 02:05 AM PDT  US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jason Greenblatt and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed ways to reach peace with the Palestinians as well as settlement construction, a statement said Tuesday. The five-hour meeting, held in Netanyahu's Jerusalem office late Monday, came as Trump's administration begins to enter the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two "reaffirmed the joint commitment of both Israel and the United States to advance a genuine and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians that strengthens the security of Israel and enhances stability in the region," a joint statement from the premier's office and US embassy said.
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| Bird-Eating Spiders: 3 Massive, Furry Tarantulas Discovered Posted: 14 Mar 2017 08:49 AM PDT  Fukushima, a researcher at the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo, Brazil, and her colleagues sorted out the genus, which was first described in 1818. "This illustration gave origin to the name of the genus and the popular name birdeater spiders," Fukushima told Live Science in an email.
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| U.S. judge denies tribe's request to stop oil flow in Dakota Access pipeline Posted: 14 Mar 2017 04:33 PM PDT ![U.S. judge denies tribe's request to stop oil flow in Dakota Access pipeline]( "U.S. judge denies tribe's request to stop oil flow in Dakota Access pipeline") A U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday denied a request by a Native American tribe to issue an emergency injunction to prevent oil from flowing through part of the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying such a move would be against the public interest.
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| Iraqi troops seize main bridge, advance on mosque in battle for Mosul Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:04 AM PDT ![Iraqi troops seize main bridge, advance on mosque in battle for Mosul]( "Iraqi troops seize main bridge, advance on mosque in battle for Mosul") By Patrick Markey and John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces battling Islamic State for Mosul took control of a main bridge over the Tigris river on Wednesday and advanced towards the mosque where the group's leader declared a caliphate in 2014, federal police said. The seizure of the Iron Bridge, linking eastern Mosul with the militant-held Old City on the west side, means the government holds three of the five bridges over the Tigris and bolsters Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's assertion that the battle is reaching its final stages. The bridge, which was damaged in fighting late last year, was captured by federal police and Interior Ministry Rapid Response units, a police statement said.
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| Garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:10 AM PDT ![Garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia]( "Garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia") The death toll from a landslide at a dump in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has reached 113, officials said on Wednesday, as the government declared three days of national mourning. "The total number of dead has reached 113, of which 38 are male and 75 are female," said Dagmawit Moges, a spokeswoman for the city. "At least 80 other residents are missing," said Temesghen Abraham, a resident at the landfill.
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