WorldAssociated PressUS outlines possible sanctions relief for Iran in nuke talks
A senior U.S. official said Wednesday that the Biden administration has laid out examples of the kinds of sanctions on Iran it's willing to lift in exchange for Iran's return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. The official said the U.S. through intermediaries has presented Iran with three baskets of sanctions: those it's prepared to lift, those it's not prepared to lift and those that will require further study to determine if they are in fact appropriate for relief under the nuclear deal. The official declined to specify which sanctions fall into which baskets but said the third group is the most problematic.
WorldBBCMexico cartel used explosive drones to attack police
Suspected criminals in Mexico have used drones to drop explosives on police, injuring two officers. Officials think the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is behind Tuesday's attack in the western state of Michoacán. In August, two rigged drones were found in the car of suspected CJNG members.
WorldReutersIran provides Yemen's Houthis 'lethal' support, U.S. official says
Iran's support for Yemen's Houthi movement is "quite significant and it's lethal," U.S. special envoy on Yemen Tim Lenderking said on Wednesday, as he called a battle for Yemen's gas-rich Marib region the single biggest threat to peace efforts. Lenderking told U.S. lawmakers that Iran supports the Houthis in several ways including through training, providing lethal support and helping them "fine tune" their drone and missile programs. "Unfortunately all of this is working to very strong effects as we see more and more attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and potentially other countries - more accuracy and more lethality.
WorldAssociated PressRebels vow to take capital after Chadian president killed
Chad's president of three decades died of wounds suffered during a visit to front-line troops battling a shadowy rebel group, the military announced Tuesday, as the insurgents vowed to take the capital in what could become a violent battle for control of the oil-rich Central African nation. The military quickly named President Idriss Deby Itno's son as the country's interim leader, capping a series of stunning announcements that came just hours after the 68-year-old Deby had been declared winner of an election that would have given him another six years in power. Chad is not a monarchy.
U.S.Business InsiderA US Air Force general is facing court-martial for the first time ever. He has been charged with sexual assault
A US Air Force general is being court-martialed for the first time in the history of the service. The charge is linked to allegations of sexual assault against a civilian during a 2018 off-duty incident. The Air Force said it is unclear at this time when the court-martial will take place.
CelebrityThe TelegraphIntruder claiming to be Prince Andrew's fiancée allowed into Royal Lodge
Royal security is being reviewed after a "glamorous" intruder claiming to be "Irene Windsor" was waved into the Duke of York's home and left to walk freely within the grounds. The smartly dressed woman was allowed through the security gates at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park after telling officers she had a lunch date with Prince Andrew, 61, who was home at the time. The Spanish national, who had flown in from Spain on Saturday, told police her name was Irene Windsor, that she was engaged to the Duke and that she lived there with him, according to the Sun.
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Israel says it strikes targets in Syria after missile attack
A missile launched from Syria was fired into southern Israel Thursday, setting off air raid sirens near the country's top-secret nuclear reactor, the Israeli military said. In response, it said it attacked the missile launcher and air-defense systems in neighboring Syria. The incident, marking the most serious violence between Israel and Syria in years, pointed to likely Iranian involvement.
WorldBBCPakistan hotel bomb: Deadly blast hits luxury venue in Quetta
A bomb explosion at a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Quetta has killed at least four people and wounded 12. The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan is suspected to have been the target of the attack in the car park of the Serena Hotel, correspondents say. He is understood to be in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province near the Afghan border, but was not present at the scene at the time.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz says Biden's comments about the Derek Chauvin verdict are 'grounds for a mistrial'
Cruz said Tuesday that Biden's comments on Derek Chauvin provided potential grounds for a mistrial. Cruz said that Biden was providing "a possible basis on appeal to challenge any guilty conviction." President Joe Biden's comments about the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, provided potential "grounds for a mistrial," Sen. Ted Cruz said on Tuesday.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverFiring squad still on table as SC House panel advances electric chair execution bill
South Carolina is poised to make significant changes this year to the way it executes death row inmates, giving the state an avenue to use electrocution and adding firing squads as an option. A state House panel opted Wednesday to keep death by firing squad as an option for executions when it took up a Senate proposal that cleared the upper chamber last month. The Senate measure, sponsored by former solicitor and state Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, would make the electric chair the state's new default method of execution but give death row inmates whose appeals have been exhausted the option to die by firing squad.
WorldAssociated PressSearch for Indonesia submarine focuses on oil slick off Bali
The search for a missing Indonesian submarine on Thursday focused around an oil slick north of the resort island of Bali with help from Australia, Singapore and other countries, the navy said. The oil slick was spotted near the starting position of its last dive, about 96 kilometers (60 miles) north of Bali. Indonesian navy spokesperson Julius Widjojono said the search included help from several countries, including Australia and Singapore, which have submarine rescue vessels.
BusinessReutersU.S. economy on a solid footing, coronavirus still top threat: Reuters poll
The U.S. economy will grow at its fastest annual pace in decades this year and outperform most of its major peers, with the outlook upgraded sharply, but another COVID-19 surge was the biggest risk over the next three months, a Reuters poll showed. There was a new wave of optimism among economic forecasters predicting a boost to economic activity from the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package already passed and also from U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion-plus infrastructure plan, according to the April 16-20 poll of over 100 economists. While the International Monetary Fund's latest projection of 6.4% expansion was slightly more optimistic than the poll consensus, about 15% of 105 economists predicted the economy would grow 7% or more this year, with the range of forecasts showing higher highs and higher lows compared with last month.
U.S.Kansas City Star11-year-old among four kids arrested in carjacking, California cops say
Authorities said the victim told them he was approached by three minors who demanded money and pointed a gun at him. The children reportedly fled the scene in a white SUV without taking any money after the victim falsely said he was an off-duty police officer, authorities said. Police said that on the same day, another victim was approached by two minors who tried to carjack him while armed with a gun on Pershing Drive.
U.S.The WeekBrazil offers to cut deforestation by 40 percent in exchange for $1 billion from U.S.
Brazil says it will cut back on deforestation — for a price. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has sent a proposal to the Biden administration that involves reducing deforestation by 40 percent in exchange for $1 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports. Bolsonaro is often criticized as a "negligent steward" of the vulnerable Amazon rainforest, the Journal notes, but he and others, including residents of the Amazon region, have argued the only way to save the rainforest is by funding "nascent bio-industries" like fish farming "that would provide alternatives to poor farmers who slash and burn to raise crops and cattle."
U.S.Raleigh News and Observer21-year-old paratrooper died in jump from Blackhawk helicopter at Fort Bragg, Army says
The 21-year-old Army paratrooper who died Monday at Fort Bragg was killed when something went wrong during a helicopter jump, according to the 82nd Airborne Division. “Jenks was conducting a static-line jump from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter when she suffered the fatal injury,” the 82nd Airborne reported. An investigation is underway, Army officials said.
WorldAssociated PressLava from Guatemala's Pacaya volcano threatens towns
Residents of small communities living around Guatemala's Pacaya volcano wake each day wondering if the lava will reach their homes. A lava flow descending the volcano has advanced between El Patrocinio and San José el Rodeo. Emma Quezada, a 38-year-old homemaker in one of those houses, has lived there her entire life and said she's used to the volcanic activity.
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Report: Missing girl Kristin Smart was once buried in suspect's father's backyard
A California college student missing for nearly 25 years was once buried in the backyard of the home owned by the murder suspect's father, authorities said in a court document.
PoliticsArchitectural DigestHouse Call: Embracing My Outdoor Persona
We're getting outdoorsy on Clever this week Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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Australia cancels Belt and Road deals; China warns of further damage to ties
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia on Wednesday cancelled two deals struck by its state of Victoria with China on Beijing's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, prompting the Chinese embassy in Canberra to warn that already tense bilateral ties were bound to worsen. Under a new process in Australia, Foreign Minister Marise Payne has the power to review deals reached with other nations by the country's states and universities. Payne said she had decided to cancel four deals, including two that Victoria agreed with China, in 2018 and 2019, on cooperation with the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature trade and infrastructure scheme.
U.S.Kansas City StarMom kicks kids out to host a party and attacks them when they return, Michigan cops say
A Michigan mom is facing child abuse charges after police say she attacked her teen children when they returned home during a party she was hosting. Around 3:40 a.m. Sunday, a teen boy called 911 and said he'd been assaulted by his mom, Michigan State Police said Wednesday in a news release. When officers arrived, the boy explained that his mom had kicked him and his sister out of their Richfield Township home so she could throw a party.
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Cornyn, Abrams spar over race and Georgia’s voting law
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting rights, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, questioned Georgia activist Stacey Abrams about her state's controversial new election law.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderKevin McCarthy jumps on Marjorie Taylor Greene's bandwagon, saying he'll introduce his own resolution to censure Maxine Waters for her 'dangerous comments'
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy plans to introduce his own resolution to censure Maxine Waters. McCarthy announced his decision after Marjorie Taylor Greene said she wanted to "expel" Waters for "inciting Black Lives Matter terrorism." Waters has maintained that she did not encourage violence when she spoke to protesters near Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis.
WorldThe Daily BeastRussia Plunges Into Era of ‘Dictatorship’ as Putin Looms Over Eastern Europe
Many of his opponents were already under lock and key by the time President Vladimir Putin used an annual state of the nation address to remind people what happens to popular uprisings within striking distance of the Kremlin. With Russian troops massed on the border of Ukraine in numbers not seen since the invasion of Crimea, Putin gloried in the fate of the pro-Western movement in Kyiv, seven years after he annexed a chunk of its territory. Similar forces were at play in Belarus, Putin said, where the CIA was accused of stirring up a coup plot against the pro-Russian leader, who rigged elections last year.
U.S.Miami HeraldPretty Ricky singer in critical condition after being shot at South Florida bowling alley
A colorful sign that reads “Sparez” is close by. HL's caption says that the Miami rapper (real name Diamond Blue Smith) was shot at Sparez bowling alley in Davie, but gives scant information. People surround the man trying to help keep him comfortable while waiting for an ambulance.
U.S.USA TODAY'Egregious comments': Virginia city fires police officer over alleged Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund donation
An officer in southeastern Virginia has been fired after reports surfaced that he donated to and expressed support for Kyle Rittenhouse, who is charged with killing two people in protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer. Norfolk Police Lt. William Kelly was "relieved of duty" Tuesday after a data breach showed his email address was linked to an initially anonymous $25 donation to Rittenhouse's legal defense fund, according to The Guardian. Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, late on Aug. 25 during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting two days earlier of Blake, a Black...
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”