Taliban hang body in public; signal return to past tactics

The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane parked in a city square in Afghanistan on Saturday in a gruesome display that signaled the hard-line movement's return to some of its brutal tactics of the past. Taliban officials initially brought four bodies to the central square in the western city of Herat, then moved three of them to other parts of the city for public display, said Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, who runs a pharmacy on the edge of the square. Taliban officials announced that the four were caught taking part in a kidnapping earlier Saturday and were killed by police, Seddiqi said.

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  Witness: Taliban hang dead body in Afghan city's main square

  The Independent
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  Taliban hang body of suspected kidnapper in city square

  Washington Examiner

Fireball that ‘skimmed’ the North Carolina coast Friday was caught on video, NASA says

A fireball that soared over the North Carolina coast Friday was seen blazing through the sky across the state. NASA Meteor Watch said the fireball — which is an “exceptionally bright” meteor — “skimmed the coast of North Carolina” around 7:40 p.m. and became “visible 48 miles above the ocean off Camp Lejeune.” It was one of five fireballs reportedly seen over the United States that night, according to NASA.

More than half of San Francisco's unvaccinated police officers are seeking a religious exemption to avoid the city's vaccine requirement

Of the 366 San Francisco Police Department employees that are unvaccinated against COVID-19, 193 have applied for religious exemptions to avoid having to get required vaccines, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In June, San Francisco became the first major city to announce that it will require approximately 35,000 city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs, The Los Angeles Times reported. All city employees have to be vaccinated by October 13.

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  NBA denies Wiggins' religious exemption for Covid-19 vaccine

  NBC News
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  Report: Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga now vaccinated against COVID-19

  Rookie Wire

Baggage claim: Two men charged with stealing $550,000 from airlines in lost luggage scam

Pernell Anthony Jones, Jr., 31, of Kenner, and Donmonick Martin, 29, of Chalmette, are accused of running the scam on numerous airlines, filing lost luggage claims following 180 flights in and out of Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, despite never actually travelling with any bags, according to court documents. Prosecutors say that starting in 2015, Jones would buy tickets for the flights online using false identities and preloaded gift cards. He would then present fake identification at the airport and collect a baggage claim ticket after paying the checked bag fee, but wouldn't actually check a bag.

U.S. border agents briefly detain 14 Mexican soldiers in El Paso

Fourteen Mexican soldiers were detained Saturday morning for several hours by U.S. border agents after they crossed into El Paso, Texas, from Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)said. "Just after midnight today CBP officers working at the Bridge of the America's international crossing in El Paso noted two Mexican military vehicles crossing the boundary and entering the U.S.," the CBP told Reuters in an emailed statement. The 14 Mexican soldiers said they did not realize they had entered the United States and U.S. border agents secured their weapons and equipment for "safety and processing," said the CBP, adding that Mexican military leadership was contacted an...

India Is Ignoring a Nightmare Snakebite Massacre

NEW DELHI—An onslaught of fatal snakebite attacks is sweeping India and killing tens of thousands each year—and so far, the government's response has been to ignore, trivialize, and cover up the crisis altogether. In contrast, the country's government reports ridiculously low numbers: In 2018, the Health and Family Welfare minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey declared that only 689 snake-related deaths had occurred in India that year—a fraction of the figure referenced in the study, and one that any expert would quickly balk at. Shashikant Dubey, 28, was working in his rice fields last month in Niwari, a small rural district in central India's Madhya Pradesh state, when he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his hand.

Some say COVID-19 vaccine is the 'mark of the beast.' Is there a connection to the Bible?

The COVID-19 vaccine has been scientifically proved to save lives, but for a select group of people in the religious realm, a more important matter is at stake – eternal salvation. As the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads, many Americans resist COVID-19 vaccines, some citing the uncertainty of long-term side effects, others lacking trust in the medical field. The "mark of the beast" in the New Testament's Book of Revelation signals an allegiance to Satan or those who reject God's memorial of creatorship.

North Dakota stuntman known as Flying Farmer crashes on jump

The first car jumping attempt in five years by North Dakota's version of Evil Knievel ended in disaster when the car driven my the man known as the Flying Farmer corkscrewed off the ramp and rolled. Authorities said John Smith, 57, was alert after the crash Saturday at a rural gravel pit and that he even tried to pull himself out of the car while talking to rescuers. He was eventually cut out and taken by a medical helicopter to a hospital, according to firefighters.

Texas Gov. Won't Budge On Abortion Exceptions As Chris Wallace Grills Him On 15,000 Rapes

Fox News host Chris Wallace came down hard Sunday on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) about the 15,000 rapes that took place in his state in 2019 ― and about the radical anti-abortion measure, which bars the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy even in cases of rape or incest, that Abbott recently signed into law. Close to 90% of all abortions in Texas occur after the six-week mark, because most women don't even know they're pregnant in those first few weeks. As for abortion in cases of rape, Abbott claimed earlier this month that he would somehow “eliminate all rapists” in the state.

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  Fox’s Chris Wallace confronts Texas governor over claim that he will ‘eliminate’ rape

  The Independent
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  If You've Had An Abortion, We'd Like To Hear About Your Experience

  BuzzFeed

A gangster standing trial for murder was shot dead in a courtroom by 2 rivals disguised as lawyers, say police

An Indian gangster was shot dead in a New Delhi courtroom by two rival gang members dressed as lawyers, according to CNN. The gunmen, wearing their disguises, opened fire while Jitender Gogi, 30, was standing trial for murder, the media outlet reported. "Two gangsters killed in immediate counterfire by Police as they opened fire in lawyers attire at a gangster UTP (under trial prisoner) in Rohini court premises this afternoon," said a tweet by Delhi Police.

iPhone 14 is reportedly a 'complete redesign'

The iPhone 13 series is barely in stores, but that isn't stopping a growing chorus of leaks surrounding next year's model. As 9to5Mac notes, Bloomberg's historically accurate Mark Gurman claimed the iPhone 14 will represent a "complete redesign" — the first since the iPhone X arrived in 2017. The relatively modest iPhone 13 update was a hint that bigger things were coming, he said.

A Michigan doctor said 6 out of 8 patients who questioned his medical advice on COVID-19 have died

A Michigan pulmonologist recounted interactions with eight patients who were severely suffering from COVID-19 while they ignored the reality of the virus in a Facebook post. On Friday, Dr. Matthew Trunsky, the director of the palliative care unit at a Beaumont Health network hospital in Troy, Michigan, told The Washington Post six of those eight patients have since died. In his September 11 Facebook post, Trunsky said some of the patients denied having the virus, requested unproven and unapproved treatments like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, or even said: "I'd rather die than take the vaccine."

U.S. export tightening slows advance of Chinese C919 jet - sources

China's C919 jetliner - a no-show at the country's biggest air show this week – has found it harder to meet certification and production targets amid tough U.S. export rules, according to three people with knowledge of the programme. The state-owned manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), has been unable to get timely help from suppliers and has run out of some spare parts, those people said. U.S.-linked suppliers are gradually receiving the licences, but the hiccup has slowed down Chinese certification, and months-long delays threaten to affect early production, said the people, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Bay Area News Anchor Pulled Off Air Over Dispute About Gabby Petito Coverage (Report)

Frank Somerville, anchor for Fox Bay Area news affiliate KTVU, has been pulled off air by the network over a behind-the-scenes dispute concerning coverage of the Gabby Petito missing persons case. According to The Mercury News, Somerville wanted to add a tagline to a segment about the Petito case pointing out the disparity in coverage of missing persons cases of white women relative to women of color. The disparity has become part of the national conversation surrounding the Petito case after MSNBC host Joy Reid brought it up on her show “The ReidOut” this past Monday.

School bus driver stabbed to death in front of students in Washington state

A school bus driver was fatally stabbed in front of students after picking them up from a Washington state elementary school Friday afternoon, authorities said. The alleged killer, who is now in custody, got on the bus near Longfellow Elementary in the city of Pasco around 3 p.m. and launched the knife attack as multiple children watched in horror, according to police. “Pasco police detectives will be processing the crime scene throughout the night,” he told reporters in a prepared statement.

Police kill armed man on crowded Southern California beach

Police officers shot and killed an armed man in the sand in front of dozens of terrified witnesses, many who had gathered at Huntington Beach for the U.S. Open of Surfing. Officers responding to reports of a man with a gun made contact with him Saturday afternoon and when he refused to comply with numerous commands they opened fire, the city's police spokeswoman Jennifer Carey said in a statement. The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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  Huntington Beach police fatally shoot armed suspect on beach as U.S. Open of Surfing underway nearby

  LA Times
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  Huntington Beach police shoot, wound man

  KABC – Los Angeles

A 25-year-old who had to get a double lung transplant due to COVID-19 said his lungs look like 'chewed up pieces of bubblegum'

A Georgia man had to get a double lung transplant after he got COVID-19 in April. Blake Bargatze had no underlying health issues but was not vaccinated before he fell ill. The 25-year-old told Insider the virus made his lungs look like "chewed up pieces of bubblegum."

Basta! Romans say enough to invasion of wild boars in city

Rome has been invaded by Gauls, Visigoths and vandals over the centuries, but the Eternal City is now grappling with a rampaging force of an entirely different sort: rubbish-seeking wild boars. Entire families of wild boars have become a daily sight in Rome, as groups of 10-30 beasts young and old emerge from the vast parks surrounding the city to trot down traffic-clogged streets in search of food in Rome's notoriously overflowing rubbish bins. Posting wild boar videos on social media has become something of a sport as exasperated Romans capture the scavengers marching past their stores, strollers or playgrounds.

An NYC restaurant owner raised staff wages to $25 an hour. She's had no trouble recruiting - but still doesn't think she pays employees enough.

A Manhattan restaurant owner raised prices so she could pay all staff a $25-an-hour starting wage. "I still don't think we pay them enough," Amanda Cohen, owner of Dirt Candy, told Insider. A Manhattan restaurant owner thinks the $25-an-hour starting wage she pays her staff still isn't high enough.

6-Year-Old Girl Who Died on Colo. Amusement Park Ride Was Not Buckled in by Operators: Report

The 6-year-old girl who died after suffering injuries on a ride at an amusement park in Colorado was not buckled into the attraction by the ride operators, according to a new report. In a Friday press release, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Division of Oil and Public Safety released its final report looking into the incident in which Wongel Estifanos died while riding the Haunted Mine Drop ride at Glenwood Caverns Park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on a family vacation earlier this month. Per the report, Estifanos — who was visiting the destination over Labor Day weekend — fell to her death on the ride because she was sitting on top of her two seat belts instead of wearing them across her body.

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  Report: Girl wasn't buckled in before fatal theme park fall

  Associated Press
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  6-year-old girl who died after after falling off ride at Colorado amusement park wasn't wearing seatbelt, report says

  INSIDER

China's Xi warns of 'grim' Taiwan situation in letter to opposition

The situation in the Taiwan Strait is "complex and grim", Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a congratulatory letter on Sunday to the newly elected leader of Taiwan's main opposition party, who has pledged to renew talks with Beijing. Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) elected as their leader on Saturday former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-opposition-partys-new-leader-pledges-renewed-talks-with-china-2021-09-25), who said he would rekindle stalled high-level contacts with China's ruling Communist Party.