| ‘I did not collude’: Kushner releases 3,700-word statement detailing 4 Russia contacts Posted: 24 Jul 2017 07:06 AM PDT  In a lengthy statement to the congressional committees investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, President Trump's son-in-law says that he has "nothing to hide."
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| Death toll rises to nine in suspected Texas human smuggling case Posted: 24 Jul 2017 05:16 AM PDT ![Death toll rises to nine in suspected Texas human smuggling case]( "Death toll rises to nine in suspected Texas human smuggling case") At least eight men were found dead on Sunday alongside dozens of people discovered inside a sweltering tractor trailer parked at a Walmart store in San Antonio, Texas, in what authorities called a case of "ruthless" human trafficking. Thirty people, many in critical condition and suffering from heat stoke and exhaustion, were removed from the trailer, which lacked air conditioning or a water supply, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. Another person was found in a wooded area nearby and was also being treated, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a statement.
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| Timeline of Justine Damond shooting Posted: 24 Jul 2017 09:17 AM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A timeline of the July 15 fatal shooting of Justine Damond, an unarmed Australian woman, by a Minneapolis police officer, and ensuing events:
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| Jihadists take control of major Syrian city Posted: 23 Jul 2017 12:47 PM PDT  Jihadists on Sunday took Idlib in Syria after rival rebels withdrew, strengthening their grip over the northwestern city and its province, one of the last beyond regime control. At the same time a car bomb exploded in Idlib killing 11 people, nine of them jihadists, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. The truce ended a week of fierce fighting between HTS and Ahrar al-Sham, which is backed by Turkey and some Gulf countries, that killed at least 92 people including 15 civilians, the Observatory said.
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| Hopes for future HIV cure revived as South African child becomes third in remission Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:34 AM PDT  A nine-year-old South African child with HIV has surprised experts by showing no symptoms of the virus having had just one year of treatment followed by eight and a half years with no drugs. This has given hope to the 37 million people worldwide infected with the virus that causes AIDS. However, the case is extremely rare and does not suggest a simple path to a cure, experts say. HIV patients typically have to keep taking antiretroviral (ART) drugs permanently to stop the virus from developing into AIDS. However, this child has no signs of the disease. Prince Harry and Rihanna get tested for HIV 00:52 The child was part of a clinical trial in which researchers were investigating the effect of treating HIV-positive babies in the first few weeks of life, and then stopping and starting the ART medicines while checking whether their HIV was being controlled. The case was revealed Monday at an AIDS conference in Paris. "It's a case that raises more questions than it necessarily answers," said Linda-Gail Bekker, president of the International AIDS Society, which is holding the conference in Paris this week. "It does raise the interesting notion that maybe treatment isn't for life," she said, adding that "it's clearly a rare phenomenon." Researchers believe that intensive treatment soon after infection could enable long-term remission of the disease. Treatment with ART started when the child was almost nine weeks old but was interrupted at 40 weeks when the virus had been suppressed, and the child was monitored regularly for any signs of relapse. Naomi Campbell 'stands in solidarity' with millions of women on World AIDS day 00:27 The South African child, who contracted the virus from its mother, is the third who achieved a long remission using this approach. Other similar cases include a French woman aged roughly 20 who was born with HIV and has her infection under control despite no HIV medicines since she was around six, and a Mississippi baby born with HIV in 2010 suppressed her infection for 27 months after stopping treatment before it reappeared in her blood. She was able to get the virus under control again after treatment resumed. However, researchers believe the South African case is the first instance of sustained virological control from a randomised trial of ART interruption following early treatment of infants. "At age 9.5 years, the child was clinically asymptomatic," the researchers said. UNAIDS, the United Nations HIV/AIDs agency, said last week that 19.5 million people worldwide are now receiving treatment. The vast majority of patients with HIV find that the virus increases in the body if they stop treatment, but this child was different, according to researchers. Sharon Lewin, an HIV expert at the University of Melbourne and co-chair of the IAS's HIV Cure and Cancer forum, said the case threw up possible insights into how the human immune system can controls HIV replication when treatment is interrupted. Yet in terms of the scientific search for a cure for HIV and AIDS, she said, it appeared only to confirm previous reports of similarly rare cases. "We know that very rarely, people who have had treatment and stopped it are then able to control the virus." The HIV/AIDs pandemic has killed around 35 million people worldwide since the 1980s.
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| Drawing in the customers in Mogadishu Posted: 24 Jul 2017 11:24 AM PDT ![Drawing in the customers in Mogadishu]( "Drawing in the customers in Mogadishu") Somalian mural artist Muawiye Hussein Sidow, also known as 'Shik Shik', is the man responsible for the art that features on more than 100 shops, including barbers, tea shops and supermarkets across Mogadishu. (Reuters)
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| Donald Trump accuses Republicans of 'doing very little' to protect him during 'phony Russian witch hunt' Posted: 23 Jul 2017 04:14 PM PDT  Having spent the day at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, he returned home to fire off a brace of tweets in his typically combative style. Mr Trump did not elaborate on which Republicans he meant but many within his own party have attacked him ever since he announced his intention to seek the party's nomination, accusing him of being a political opportunist rather than a "true" Republican. Members of the Republican party are playing in active role in the various investigations into the Trump campaign team's communications with Russian representatives ahead of the 2016 election.
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| Driver in Texas denies he knew immigrants were in stifling truck Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:46 PM PDT  By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - The man accused of smuggling at least 100 illegal immigrants inside a sweltering tractor-trailer, 10 of whom died, has said he was unaware of the human cargo he was hauling until he took a rest stop in Texas, court papers showed on Monday. James Bradley Jr., 60, was arrested on Sunday after police said they discovered dozens of undocumented Mexican and Guatemalan nationals, some unconscious in the back of the truck, others staggering around the vehicle in the parking lot of a Walmart store in San Antonio. Authorities called to the scene found the bodies of eight illegal immigrants, along with 30 to 40 others who survived the ordeal but were suffering from dehydration and heat stroke, some of them as young as 15.
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| The Latest: USS Constitution returns to water after repairs Posted: 23 Jul 2017 08:47 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — The Latest on the USS Constitution's return to Boston Harbor (all times local):
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| Russia deploys forces to police Syria safe zones Posted: 24 Jul 2017 10:02 AM PDT  Russia has deployed military police to monitor two safe zones being established in Syria, it was announced on Monday, with officials touting it as a new era of US cooperation. Senior commander Sergei Rudskoi said Russian forces had set up checkpoints and observation posts around a zone in the south-west and in another covering Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. The two areas are part of a broader Moscow-backed plan to create four "de-escalation zones" in rebel-held parts of Syria.
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| Archaeologists Return to Legendary Birthplace of King Arthur Posted: 24 Jul 2017 09:39 AM PDT  Archaeologists are back at the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Last summer, researchers discovered traces of early medieval life at Tintagel in Cornwall, on England's southwest coast, where the legendary British monarch was said to have been born. It was during this time that King Arthur is said to have fought the invading Saxons.
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| California crews hold wildfire in check, letting more residents go home Posted: 23 Jul 2017 03:29 PM PDT  California authorities battling a massive wildfire near Yosemite National Park lifted evacuation orders on Sunday for more local residents but said firefighters may need almost two more weeks to contain the blaze fully. The Detwiler Fire is 40 percent contained, unchanged from Saturday, after burning 76,000 acres (30,700 hectares) and 130 structures, including 63 homes, since it broke out on Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Evacuation orders were lifted as of 12 p.m. PST for much of the historic gold rush era town of Coulterville and nearby areas as firefighters completed firelines to contain the blaze, Cal Fire said in a statement.
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| Slain girl's father, sister denied visas, miss her funeral Posted: 24 Jul 2017 02:13 PM PDT ![Slain girl's father, sister denied visas, miss her funeral]( "Slain girl's father, sister denied visas, miss her funeral") KEANSBURG, N.J. (AP) — A Jamaican man who was denied a temporary visa to attend the funeral of his slain 11-year-old daughter in New Jersey says his heart is "torn apart."
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| Injectable AIDS drug may work 'as well' as pills: study Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:28 AM PDT  A two-drug cocktail injected every month or two may be just as effective as a daily pill at keeping the AIDS virus under control, said a study Monday that promised relief for millions. At present people have no option but to take lifelong, daily doses of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) which keeps the HIV virus under control, but does not kill it. People who forget to take their medication run the risk of the virus rebounding to make them ill, or developing resistance to the drugs they were using -- which would require a more expensive replacement.
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| Donald Trump to be blocked from easing Russia sanctions after US Congress agrees legislation Posted: 23 Jul 2017 03:15 AM PDT  Both Democrat and Republican leaders in the US Congress have agreed on legislation to punish Russia for election meddling. While the US President could veto the bill, doing so would fuel suspicion he is too supportive of Vladimir Putin's federal republic. The legislation, which will be voted on by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, would allow new sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 as well as its alleged meddling in the US election.
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| San Antonio truck deaths: 10 people confirmed dead in 'horrific human smuggling crime' Posted: 24 Jul 2017 03:46 AM PDT  The death toll in a suspected human smuggling case is San Antonio has risen to 10, as officials confirm two men died in the hospital after being rescued from the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer. Sixty-year-old Florida native James Matthew Bradley Jr was identified by the US Attorney's office as the driver, and was arrested in connection with the incident. Thirty people were found, with at least 20 in critical condition in a trailer parked at a Walmart store in San Antonio, where temperatures outside the vehicle reached 100 degrees and temperatures inside were thought to have been as high as 140 degrees.
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| China says it wants to 'maintain stability' in disputed South China Sea Posted: 24 Jul 2017 02:03 AM PDT  By Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday Beijing wanted to maintain stability in the South China Sea as it seeks alliances in the region amid tensions in the disputed waters. The United States has criticized China for disregarding international law by the construction and militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea, undermining regional stability. China claims most of the energy-rich sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
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| Report: German runaway found in Iraq wants to go home Posted: 24 Jul 2017 07:01 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — A teenage German girl who ran away after converting to Islam and was found by Iraqi troops in Mosul says she wants to go home, a German newspaper and broadcaster reported Monday.
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| Facebook workers are demanding higher wages because they literally can't afford rent anymore Posted: 24 Jul 2017 10:24 AM PDT  Over 500 cafeteria workers at Facebook's Menlo Park, California headquarters have unionized and are demanding higher wages because they can't afford to live in Silicon Valley.
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| Iran top judge demands U.S. release assets, jailed Iranians Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:10 AM PDT  Iran's top judge called on the United States on Monday to release Iranians held in U.S. jails and billions of dollars in Iranian assets, days after Washington urged Tehran to free three U.S. citizens. The statement by Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani capped a week of heightened rhetoric over the jailing and disappearance of Americans in Iran and new U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
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| Serbia's president urges nation to resolve Kosovo relations Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:38 AM PDT  BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia must resolve its relations with its breakaway former province of Kosovo in order to move forward, Serbia's president wrote in an opinion piece Monday.
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| Swaziland halves world's highest HIV infection rate: report Posted: 24 Jul 2017 08:29 AM PDT  Swaziland, which bears the world's heaviest HIV burden, has almost halved the rate of new infections in five years by boosting access to virus-suppressing drugs, researchers said Monday. The country -- where one in three adults is infected with the AIDS-causing virus -- has vastly expanded public programmes to test people for HIV infection and put them on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment (ART). "The rate of new HIV infections has been reduced by half," Velephi Okello of the Swazi health ministry told journalists at an HIV science conference in Paris.
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| Trump mocks Republicans for repeal and replace promise Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:28 PM PDT  On Monday, President Trump urged Republicans to take action on repealing and replacing Obamacare. He also mocked them for continuing to promise to repeal and replace the law, but not acting on that promise.
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| Snooty dead: World's oldest known manatee dies aged 69 in 'heartbreaking accident' Posted: 24 Jul 2017 02:42 AM PDT  The world's oldest manatee has died in a "heartbreaking" accident at his Florida home a day after celebrating his 69th birthday. According to the South Florida Museum, a panel door leading out of the underwater tank which is normally bolted shut had been knocked loose.
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| Teenage driver livestreams crash that killed sister Posted: 24 Jul 2017 03:22 PM PDT  FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A teenage driver lost control of her car while she was livestreaming on Instagram and recorded part of the crash that authorities said Monday killed her younger sister in California.
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| Woman admits to killing fiance in kayak incident on Hudson River Posted: 24 Jul 2017 03:29 PM PDT  A woman who once reported her fiance missing after his kayak capsized on a frigid Hudson River pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide on Monday, admitting she pulled the plug on his kayak so it would fill with water, prosecutors said. Angelika Graswald, 37, also admitted that she knew he was not wearing a life vest or wet suit and that the locking clip to his paddle was missing, putting her husband-to-be in grave danger, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler's office said in a statement. The body of Vincent Viafore, 46, was eventually recovered from the river near the site of the incident, about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.
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| Ryanair firms Alitalia interest, as EasyJet boosts jobs Posted: 24 Jul 2017 09:49 AM PDT  Ryanair has made a "non-binding offer" for loss-making Italian rival Alitalia, the Irish no-frills carrier said Monday, as rival EasyJet said it plans to employ more than 1,200 new staff. "We have made a non-binding offer for Alitalia. As the largest airline in Italy, it's important we are involved in the process," Ryanair said in a statement after Italian media said Friday that about ten such bids had been made.
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| Records: EPA chief jets away for weekends on taxpayer's dime Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:51 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Records show the head of the Environmental Protection Agency spent weekends in his home state during his first three months in office, frequently flying to and from Oklahoma at taxpayer's expense.
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| What Happens If You Eat Too Much Tuna Fish? Posted: 23 Jul 2017 11:00 AM PDT  Tuna fish is healthy and tasty, but too much of it can be deadly.
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| Israel says Jerusalem mosque metal detectors to stay Posted: 23 Jul 2017 02:03 PM PDT  By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Sunday it would not remove metal detectors whose installation outside a major Jerusalem mosque has triggered the bloodiest clashes with the Palestinians in years, but could eventually reduce their use. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet on Sunday evening. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would halt security ties with Israel until it scraps the walk-through gates installed at entrances to Al-Aqsa mosque plaza after two police guards were shot dead on July 14.
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| WRX STI Type RA NBR achieves incredible Nurburgring lap time Posted: 24 Jul 2017 03:05 AM PDT  There's no getting away from what a stunning piece of technology and automotive engineering the Porsche 918 Spyder was when it was revealed to the world a couple of years ago, and it was no surprise when it put in an amazing lap time at the world famous Nurburgring. It's only right then that we would have expected a genuine challenge to that lap time to come from some equally advanced hybrid hypercar, but Subaru has come extremely close to beating the 918's time without an electric motor in sight with its WRX STI Type RA NBR. To be fair to both Porsche and Subaru, the WRX STI Type RA NBR isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill car by any means.
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| Japan almost finished with probe into US Navy ship collision Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:32 AM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities said Monday that they were almost finished with their investigation into last month's collision between a Philippine freighter and a U.S. naval destroyer that left seven Navy sailors dead, but still haven't been given access to data from the U.S. side.
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| Teenagers who laughed and filmed a disabled man as he drowned may face criminal charges Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:03 AM PDT  Five boys between 14 and 16 years old reportedly laughed loudly when 32-year-old Jamel Dunn screamed and was submerged in a retention pond in Cocoa, Florida. The teenagers taunted and shouted insults at Dunn during the one-minute video as he struggled in the water and shouted for help. Under Florida law, it is not a punishable offence for a witness not to help a person in need, and the youths were likely not to face charges.
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| How many nukes are in the world and what could they destroy? Posted: 24 Jul 2017 12:28 AM PDT  Tensions over nuclear weapons have been raised further after North Korea claimed to have successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. This latest move comes amid increasing concern over North Korea's military capabilities, with the new US administration upping its rhetoric in response. While the Pyongyang regime increases the frequency with which it is conducting missile tests, Donald Trump's defence secretary Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis has warned North Korea of an "effective and overwhelming" response if Pyongyang used nuclear weapons. Elsewhere, rhetoric hints at a return of the expansion of nuclear arsenals across the world. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of defence chiefs that strengthening nuclear capability should be a key objective for 2017. Donald Trump then took to Twitter to respond, vowing to do the same. The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016 Such rhetoric has led to concerns about the world's nuclear capacity and the unpredictability of those in charge of the warheads. It seems the world is a long way from "coming to its senses" - with millions of kilotons already in military service around the world. Between them, the world's nuclear-armed states have around 15,000 warheads - the majority of which belong to the US and Russia. It is estimated that just under 10,000 of these are in military service, with the rest awaiting dismantlement, according to the Arms Control Association. Putin says Russia should strengthen its nuclear arsenal 00:51 Which countries have nuclear weapons? There are five nuclear-weapon states in the world: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. These are officially recognised as possessing such weapons by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This treaty acknowledges and legitimises their arsenals, but they are not supposed to build or maintain them forever. Indeed, they have committed to eliminate them. There are also four other countries that have nuclear weapons: Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea. These countries didn't sign the Treaty, and together possess an estimated 340 nuclear weapons. But it's Russia and the US that have by far the most in the world - dominating all other countries by collectively sharing 88 per cent of the world's arsenal of stockpiled nukes. This figure increases to 93 per cent when we consider retired nukes. How the world's 15,000 nukes are divided How deadly could these nuclear weapons be? The world's current collection of 14,900 nuclear weapons possesses enough power to kill millions of people and flatten dozens of cities. According to Telegraph research, it is estimated that the US and Russian arsenals combined have power equating to 6,600 megatons. This is a tenth of the total solar energy received by Earth every minute. According to the NukeMap website, the dropping of the B-83, the largest bomb in the current US arsenal, would kill 1.4m people in the first 24 hours. A further 3.7m people would be injured, as the thermal radiation radius reached 13.km. Likewise, the "Tsar Bomba" is the largest USSR bomb tested. If this bomb was dropped on New York, it is estimated that it could kill 7.6m people and injure 4.2m more. The nuclear fallout could reach an approximate area of 7,880km on a 15mph wind, impacting millions more people. Both America and Russia's arsenals are regulated by several treaties that place limits on the numbers and kinds of warheads and delivery systems they have. If either country were to expand their nuclear capacity even further, as Trump and Putin have hinted at, it could shatter these agreements and plunge the world into a new Cold War. North Korean missile ranges Our figures on nuclear weapons, based on statistics from the Arms Control Association, are mainly estimates because of the secretive nature with which most governments treat information about their arsenals.
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| Mugabe lavishes sister-in-law with $60,000 birthday gift Posted: 24 Jul 2017 01:46 AM PDT  Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe lavished his sister-in-law with $60,000 on her birthday, state-owned media reported Monday, at a time when the country is running critically short of cash. The Herald newspaper said Mugabe, 93, and his wife Grace gave Junior Gumbochuma the money at her birthday celebrations, while the couple's children gave her $10,000. Gumbochuma, who is Grace Mugabe's elder sister, celebrated her 60th birthday on Sunday as Grace celebrated her 52nd at one of the Mugabes' farms in Shamva, northeast of Harare.
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| Hezbollah says battle with Nusra Front almost won at Syria-Lebanon border Posted: 24 Jul 2017 04:07 AM PDT  By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Monday its battle with Nusra Front jihadists at the Syria-Lebanon border was almost over and urged remaining insurgents in the area to give up, pressing its campaign to take their last foothold at the frontier. With the Nusra Front almost beaten in the mountainous area on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, the next phase is expected to focus on adjacent territory held by Islamic State militants. The Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group has played a critical role in vanquishing Sunni Muslim jihadists in the border region during the six-year-long Syrian war, part of its critical military support provided to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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| Nigeria releases first photo of ailing president in almost 80 days Posted: 23 Jul 2017 10:37 PM PDT  Nigeria released a photograph of President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, the first in almost three months after he left the country on May 7 for medical leave in Britain. In stark contrast to his first absence, when numerous photos of a notably skeletal leader were published, the presidency had released no images of Buhari during his current medical leave until now. The president is on his second medical leave so far this year, the majority of which he has spent being treated for an undisclosed ailment in London.
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| A Facebook Post About Breast Milk in Brownies Has the Internet Outraged Posted: 24 Jul 2017 12:56 PM PDT  Would you buy them at a bake sale?
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| Robot finds possible melted fuel inside Fukushima reactor Posted: 22 Jul 2017 05:44 PM PDT  Lava-like rocks believed to be melted nuclear fuel have been spotted inside Japan's stricken Fukushima reactor by an underwater robot, the plant's operator said at the end of a three-day inspection. Large amounts of the solidified lumps and deposit were spotted for the first time by the robot on the floor of the primary containment vessel underneath the core of Fukushima's No. 3 reactor, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. "There is a high possibility that the solidified objects are mixtures of melted metal and fuel that fell from the vessel," a TEPCO spokesman said, adding that the company was planning further analysis of the images.
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| 'Good girl' cheerleader charged with killing, burying newborn in parent's garden Posted: 24 Jul 2017 10:20 AM PDT  Police arrested an 18-year-old Ohio cheerleader last week after remains of her newborn baby were found in her backyard, according to Fox News.
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