Shocking Footage Shows Jerusalem Mosque Turned Into a War Zone, Hundreds of Palestinians Injured

The third-holiest site in Islam—the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem—was turned into a chaotic battlefield Monday as Israeli police responded violently to Palestinian protesters, injuring more than 300 people. In recent days, Jerusalem has been suffering its worst violence for years, sparked by incendiary plans to evict dozens of Palestinians from an Arab area in the east of the city and hand their homes to Israelis. The crisis worsened Monday ahead of the nationalist Jerusalem Day Flag March, which marks Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in the 1960s.

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  Jordan warns Israel against 'barbaric' attacks on mosque

  Reuters
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  Palestinians clash with Israeli police in Jerusalem

  Reuters Videos

Qatar ruler in Saudi Arabia for first time since rift eased

Qatar's ruling emir visited Saudi Arabia on Monday for the first time since signing a declaration with the kingdom and other Arab Gulf states to ease a years-long rift and end an embargo that had frayed ties among important U.S. allies and security partners. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was greeted at the airport by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, according to Saudi and Qatari state-run media. The meeting highlights how ties between the neighbors are improving following a decision earlier this year by Saudi Arabia to end its more than three-year-long embargo of the tiny and wealthy Gulf state.

More than 1,400 migrants arrive on Italy's Lampedusa

Fifteen boats packed with hundreds of migrants landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, and officials said they were expecting numbers to increase as the weather improved. More than 1,400 people got off the vessels at the Mediterranean island, one of the main landing points for people trying to get into Europe, ANSA news agency said. "Migrants arrivals are resuming alongside good weather," Lampedusa's mayor Toto Martello told state broadcaster RAI.

Jury convicted Chester SC ex-Sheriff, 2 deputies of corruption. They want a new trial

The former sheriff of Chester County and two of his top deputies, all of whom were convicted of corruption related charges in April by a federal jury, have asked for a new trial, court documents show. Alex Underwood and former deputies Robert Sprouse and Johnny Neal claim no evidence presented during trial merited their convictions. The jury convicted the trio on a combined 23 counts related to corruption, conspiracy and other charges, documents filed Monday show.

Political newcomer Youngkin wins Virginia GOP governor race

Glenn Youngkin, a political newcomer who campaigned as a conservative, Christian outsider, bested a field of seven candidates to emerge as Virginia Republicans' nominee for governor, in a year when the GOP hopes to end a 12-year losing streak in statewide races. Youngkin defeated a hard-right contender in state Sen. Amanda Chase, who closely aligned herself with former President Donald Trump, as well as an establishment candidate, former House Speaker Kirk Cox, who had more than 30 years' experience in government as well as the endorsements of former governors George Allen and Bob McDonnell. While Chase did not embrace Trump to the same extent as Chase, he spoke favorably of the former president during the campaign.

French pilot files legal complaint for being used for fighter jet target practice in 'hazing ritual'

A French pilot has filed a legal complaint over allegations air force colleagues tied him to a target and ordered fighter jets overhead to open fire around him in a terrifying hazing ritual”. The pilot, who has not been named, alleges he was bound, blindfolded and bundled into the back of a pickup truck before being driven at breakneck speed to a secret location on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in 2019. Roughly removed from the vehicle, he was tied to a post with a red cross placed above his head at Solenzara air base, reads the legal complaint.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi expected to appear in court soon - lawyer

Since her arrest hours before a Feb. 1 military coup, Suu Kyi has been held at her residence in Naypyitaw and faces numerous, mostly minor charges filed in two courts, the most serious under a colonial-era official secrets act, punishable by 14 years in prison. "The presiding judge declared that by the instruction of the Union Supreme Court, the cases were to be heard in person, not virtually by video conferencing," her legal team head, Khin Maung Zaw, said in a text message, referring to Monday's hearing. He said the judge "told us that the problem will eventually be solved", and that Suu Kyi asked what the judge meant by "eventually".

Woman killed, man injured after confronting couple stealing TV, Washington cops say

A woman was shot and killed after she and her boyfriend confronted a couple stealing a television from a party, Washington police said. Diana Calixtro, 27, and Luis Cortes-Barragan, 27, confronted a couple who were trying to steal the TV early Saturday morning as the party at a house in Yakima wound down, witnesses told Yakima police, according to a news release from the department. The shooter and his girlfriend, a 23-year-old from Toppenish, then fled on foot, Capt. Jay Seely told McClatchy News in an email.

Mexican villages arm children in desperate bid for attention

The day's display was less militant than one a few weeks earlier, when some three dozen children marched out of town and fired weapons into the air while shouting slogans against the gang that terrorizes them — Los Ardillos, “the Squirrels. The town's demands include more National Guard troops and help for orphans, widows and those displaced by violence that has cost 34 lives in several nearby communities over the past two years. Only a few of the children in the village, which has more than 1,000 residents, actually take part.

German Greens prepare to expel popular mayor over 'repulsive and racist' tweet

The German Green Party has been hit by a new scandal involving one of its best known and most controversial politicians. Boris Palmer, the maverick mayor of Tübingen, who only months ago was widely hailed for his successful coronavirus policy, faces expulsion from the party over an alleged racist tweet. The scandal comes at a pivotal moment for the Greens, who are currently leading in the polls ahead of September's elections.

Biloela family: Locked up by Australia for three years

Kopika is a five-year-old girl who has been locked up by the Australian government for most of her childhood. In 2019, her family was sent to a detention centre on Christmas Island, an Australian outpost in the Indian Ocean. Kopi is in this situation because her parents, Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, arrived by boat in Australia nearly a decade ago seeking asylum.

U.S. military ship fires 30 warning shots after encounter with Iranian vessels

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. Coast Guard ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and other American Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said on Monday. This is the second time within the last month that U.S. military vessels have had to fire warning shots because of what they said was unsafe behavior by Iranian vessels in the region, after a relative lull in such interactions over the past year. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the warning shots were fired after the Iranian fast boats came as close as 150 yards (450 feet) of six U.S. military vessels, including the USS Monterey, that were escorting the guided-missile submarine Georgia.

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  US ship fires warning shots in encounter with Iranian boats

  Associated Press
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  US fires warning shots at Iranian boats in Strait of Hormuz

  The Telegraph

Bystanders stop man who stabbed 4 at New Zealand supermarket

Shoppers and staff at a New Zealand supermarket were being praised for their bravery Monday after authorities said they managed to stop a frenzied man from hurting others after he stabbed four people in a random attack, severely wounding three of them. New Zealand Police Superintendent Paul Basham said he'd watched CCTV footage of the attack at a Countdown supermarket in the city of Dunedin and the actions of the bystanders in detaining the man until police arrived was “nothing short of heroic. What I can say is that those that intervened, some of whom became injured themselves, I think have acted selflessly and with great courage to prevent this man from hurting anybody else,” Basham said.

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  Four stabbed in New Zealand supermarket attack

  Reuters Videos
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  New Zealand stabbings: Four injured in knife attack at supermarket

  The Independent

Man stumbles onto dead shark on Virginia coast, leaving many to wonder what killed it

A dead shark found washed up on Virginia Beach has many fascinated, some “freaked out,” but most of all, curious what caused its death. Discovered last week by a man walking in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach, the shark cuts a macabre figure in the sand; it's gills sunken, skin wrinkled, eyes still open, sharp teeth set in a red-ringed mouth. It is at least 6 feet long, according to the beachgoer, who shared a photo of the dead shark on Facebook.

Malaysian prime minister announces one-month virus lockdown

All of Malaysia will be placed under a near lockdown for about a month to fight the coronavirus, but businesses will be allowed to continue to operate at reduced capacity, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Monday. The lockdown, starting Wednesday until June 7, took the nation by surprise because restrictions on movement are already in place in many parts of the country, including Kuala Lumpur and the richest state of Selangor. Muhyiddin said drastic action was needed to battle a new aggressive outbreak before it turns into a national catastrophe.

Democrat Joe Cunningham wants SC Gov. McMaster to enact $1,200 return-to-work bonus

After calling it “reckless” for Gov. Henry McMaster to end South Carolina's extra unemployment benefits in the middle of a worker shortage, Democrat Joe Cunningham on Monday suggested another idea: Pay people $1,200 to get back to work. Cunningham, a South Carolina gubernatorial candidate, called for McMaster to use funds from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan to pay the one-time, back-to-work bonus to incentivize people to become employed. Cunningham, a former Congressman from Charleston who is seeking seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, supported a similar measure when he was in Washington.

Man dies after being pinned to the floor for 90 seconds in Rhode Island arrest

Authorities are investigating the death of Joseph Ventre, a 34-year-old who died in police custody on Friday in Providence, Rhode Island, after being handcuffed against the ground for more than 90 seconds. Providence police encountered Mr Ventre early Friday morning after being called about a man screaming in the street who was potentially on drugs. Body camera footage released by authorities shows Mr Ventre rolling back and forth on the ground, speaking incoherently as officers attempt to calm him down.

Oceans' extreme depths measured in precise detail

The key locations where the seafloor bottoms out in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern oceans were mapped by the Five Deeps Expedition. For example, in the Indian Ocean, there were two competing claims for the deepest point - a section of the Java Trench just off the coast of Indonesia; and a fracture zone to the southwest of Australia. The rigorous measurement techniques employed by the Five Deeps team confirmed Java to be the winner, but this lowest section in the trench - at a depth of 7,187m - is actually 387km from where previous data had suggested the deepest point might be.

Why Carnival Cruise Line ships might not sail from Charleston until Labor Day

Another potential delay to setting sail on a cruise out of Charleston arrived last week. Without making an official statement, Carnival Cruise Line deleted all trips off of its booking website through July except for 12 trips out of Galveston, Texas, and two out of Miami. The South Florida Sun Sentinel first reported the change to Carnival's bookings.

'Black fungus' complication adds to India's COVID woes

The Indian government has told doctors to look out for signs of mucormycosis or "black fungus" in COVID-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection. The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said at the weekend that doctors treating COVID-19 patients, diabetics and those with compromised immune systems should watch for early symptoms including sinus pain or nasal blockage on one side of the face, one-sided headache, swelling or numbness, toothache and loosening of teeth. The disease, which can lead to blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, is strongly linked to diabetes.

Parents of son sentenced to life in prison for killing an Italian police officer speak out

The parents of one of two Americans who were convicted and sentenced to life in prison after an Italian police officer was fatally stabbed have spoken out for the first time since their son's verdict. Ethan and Leah Elder, the parents of Finnegan Elder, described their son's mental state as “perilous” after he was sentenced to life in prison. “We just want Finn to be able to survive this,” Leah Elder told ABC News' Good Morning America on Monday.

NC lottery player almost forgot about her ticket — but avoided the $1 million mistake

A North Carolina woman bought a $1 million lottery ticket — but didn't know it for six weeks. Patricia Scharville of Wake County put her winning ticket in a drawer and almost forgot about it, the N.C. Education Lottery said Saturday in a news release. “I just handed it to him and said, 'I think there's something wrong with this ticket,'” Scharville told the N.C. Education Lottery.

Missouri Gov. Parson says he won’t spend $2.7 billion in COVID relief until next year

Missouri will receive roughly $2.7 billion in federal aid from President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief plan, but Republican Gov. Mike Parson doesn't want to start spending it until January. The money is from the American Rescue Plan, the latest pandemic aid bill signed by the Biden administration. State governments can use it for a range of economic or public health needs not eligible for funding in prior federal packages, according to guidance released by the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday.

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  Some states plan big spending with Biden's aid, others wait

  Associated Press
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  Without funding from lawmakers, Gov. Parson preparing for Missouri Medicaid expansion

  Kansas City Star

Crawfish with a side of ... a COVID vaccine? You can get both free at New Orleans event

Freebies for those vaccinated against the coronavirus now include a pound of hot, steamy crawfish. The upcoming “1 shot, 1 pound” event in New Orleans promises a heap of the boiled crustaceans for anyone who gets a prick in the arm, city officials announced last week. Health officials will be administering both vaccines on-site.