WorldAFPIran, Pakistan to set up border 'reaction force' after attacks
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani announced Monday that he and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to set up a joint border "reaction force" to counter terrorism. "We agreed to create a joint rapid reaction force at the borders for combatting terrorism," Rouhani told a joint news conference, following months of increased tensions over attacks on both sides of the two countries' frontier. The border skirts the volatile southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan which has been the scene of frequent attacks on Iran's security forces.
WorldAssociated PressA look at the churches and hotels targeted in Sri Lanka
CHURCHES St. Anthony's Shrine: This Roman Catholic church, located in the Kochchikade suburb of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, is one of the country's best-known churches. Its roots reach back to the 18th century Dutch colonial period, when Catholicism was forbidden and priests would often hold services in secret. Local beliefs say the church's founder, disguised as a merchant, helped a seaside fishing community by praying to stop the sea from eroding their village.
- NewsThe Guardian
FBI arrests member of rightwing militia accused of detaining migrants
A member of an armed rightwing militia group accused of illegally detaining migrants at the US-Mexico border has been arrested, officials said on Saturday. Today's arrest by the FBI indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes,” the New Mexico attorney general, Hector Balderas, said in a statement. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for an investigation into the pro-Trump, anti-immigrant men who have been patrolling the border and calling themselves the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP).
NewsReutersDoves, heartbreak and hope on 20th anniversary of Columbine High massacre
A week-long series of events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre culminated on Saturday with a remembrance ceremony celebrating the lives of the 13 victims slain in the rampage. On April 20, 1999, two Columbine students, just three weeks shy of graduation, stormed the suburban Denver school armed with shotguns and semiautomatic weapons, fatally shooting 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide. Addressing hundreds of people gathered at Saturday's service in a park next to the school, Dawn Anna, mother of slain student Lauren Townsend, spoke on behalf of all the families of the victims about their sense of loss.
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Elizabeth Warren Calls for Wiping Out Student-Loan Debt, Making College Free
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is rolling out a comprehensive higher-education plan that includes a broad proposal to cancel student-loan debt. The plan, which would cancel $50,000 in student-loan debt for every person with a household income under $100,000, is the latest in the presidential candidate's list of ambitious policy proposals, including breaking up large tech companies, a new corporate profits tax and universal child-care coverage. According to a Medium post detailing the policy, the debt cancellation would also apply for every person with a household income between $100,000 and $250,000, with the cancellation amount declining a dollar for every three dollars in income above $100,000, so that a person earning $130,000 would have $40,000 in cancellation.
- BusinessCar and Driver
View Photos of the Vonnen Porsche 911 Hybrid
A pricey yet clever means to add big electric power to your Porsche. From Car and Driver
WorldAFPIS claims deadly attack on Afghan ministry
The Islamic State group Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 10 people and trapped around 2,000 for hours inside the communications ministry in the Afghan capital the previous day. Four IS jihadists detonated explosives near the ministry, then entered and "battled Afghan security forces with machine guns and hand grenades for numerous hours", the group said in a statement on its social media channels. The attack in central Kabul killed seven civilians and three members of the security forces, the interior ministry said on Sunday, in a new toll after three people died of their wounds.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Here's An Idea: The Air Force Builds 200 B-21 Stealth Bombers
The B-21 has disappeared into the “black” world of military technology, and will only reemerge when the bomber is ready. On October 27, 2015, nearly thirty-four years to the day after Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to develop the first stealth bomber, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop a contract for a new bomber: the B-21 Raider. In invoking the Doolittle Raid, the Air Force is drawing attention to attack's audacious nature, the strategic and tactical surprise, and the epic distances General Doolittle and his “raiders” flew to accomplish their mission.
PoliticsUSA TODAYTrump's aides were eager to take Russian dirt on Clinton. But it wasn't a conspiracy, Mueller report said
The Russian government undertook a "sweeping and systematic" campaign to help Donald Trump win the White House in 2016, believing it would benefit from his presidency, and found campaign aides eager to benefit from their help, special counsel Robert Mueller concluded in a report released Thursday. The investigation did not find that the president or his campaign conspired with Russia to win the election. But the special counsel's report revealed a detailed portrait of a campaign that was receptive to Russia's efforts, was eager to benefit from them, and did not appear to appreciate the massive foreign intelligence operation behind those activities.
NewsAFPSerbia pledges 1 million euros for Notre-Dame restoration
Serbia on Monday said it will donate one million euros to help restore Notre-Dame Cathedral, after pro-government tabloids said the fire was "God's punishment" to France. The gift comes after two tabloids, Alo and Informer, said the blaze was divine retribution after Kosovo's flag was displayed inside the cathedral during World War I centennial commemorations in Paris last year. Serbia does not recognise the independence of Kosovo, a former southern province that broke away in a 1998-99 war.
- WorldThe Guardian
Mike Pompeo says 'several' US citizens killed in Sri Lanka attacks
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday “several” US citizens died in a series of explosions in Sri Lanka that killed at least 290 people and left 500 injured. That toll was expected to rise. Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 24 people. In a statement around noon US eastern time, Pompeo said: “While many details of the attacks are still emerging, we can confirm that several US citizens were among those killed.
WorldAssociated PressIsraeli election may have dimmed hopes for 2-state solution
The two Jewish parties that dared to talk openly about peace with the Palestinians captured just 10 seats in the 120-seat parliament, and opinion polls indicate dwindling support for a two-state solution among Jewish Israelis. "The majority of the people in the state of Israel no longer see a two-state solution as an option," said Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy for the Yesha settler council, himself an opponent of Palestinian independence. "If we are looking for peace in this region, we will have to look for a different plan from the two-state solution."
WorldReutersAt Easter mass, Parisians pray for Notre-Dame's swift restoration
The archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, began the service by drawing a parallel between the planned reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, celebrated every year by Christians at Easter. "We will rise up again and our cathedral will rise up again," he told the congregation, which included the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the head of the Paris fire service, General Jean-Claude Gallet. The mass had originally been scheduled to be held at Notre-Dame, whose spire was destroyed and its roof gutted in Monday's blaze as rescuers put their lives at risk to salvage the rest of the centuries-old cathedral and its priceless artifacts.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: 12 students,1 teacher killed honored at ceremony
A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting has ended with the names of 12 students and a teacher killed being read aloud, accompanied by the release of white doves. Frank DeAngelis, who was the school's principal during the 1999 shooting, said he begins every morning by reciting the victims' names. Saturday's ceremony ended a three-day slate of somber gatherings honoring the victims and lending support to survivors, the school and victims' families.
- Lifestylemotorious
Land Rover's Unsung Heroes Hit Big Anniversaries For 2019!
We remember when these models were new! Check out the significant milestone anniversaries these Land Rovers have for 2019 Four anniversaries sure to resonate with Land Rover enthusiasts the world over will be celebrated at the upcoming 2019 Land Rover Legends show. The event is due to take place over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May at Bicester Heritage, a former WWII RAF station in Oxfordshire UK, which has hosted numerous historic motoring events in recent years.
- BusinessBloomberg
How 11 People Are Trying to Stop Fake News in the World's Largest Election
One of the operations most vital to Facebook Inc. at this moment is a world away from its Menlo Park, California, headquarters, and in more ways than one. This is Boom Live, one of seven tiny fact-checking firms at the heart of Facebook's efforts to rebuild some of its credibility during India's elections. Based on the early tallies, more than 60 percent of India's 900 million eligible voters are expected to cast ballots between now and May 19, as the center-left Congress Party tries to seize power from the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.
- U.S.WABC – NY
Police find woman stabbed to death, 4-year-old girl, ax inside Brooklyn apartment
A man has been arrested after a woman who was five months pregnant was found dead in a Brooklyn apartment.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Giuliani: 'Nothing Wrong' With Getting Political Dirt From Russians
The Trump campaign's attempt to solicit political assistance from agents of the Russian government was perfectly legal, the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggested on Sunday, calling it was a completely defensible political move. “There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians,” Giuliani told CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview on Sunday morning, referring to a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting at which Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner solicited dirt on Hillary Clinton from people they believed to be acting at the behest of the Russian government.
BusinessAFPFAA sets multi-nation review of Boeing's troubled Max planes
The US Federal Aviation Administration is planning what it calls a comprehensive multi-nation review of the control systems of the Boeing 737 Max airliner to include experts from nine civil aviation authorities. The review will "evaluate aspects of the 737 Max automated flight-control system, including its design and pilots' interaction with the system, to determine its compliance with all applicable regulations and to identify future enhancements that might be needed," the agency said. Boeing Max planes -- the aerospace firm's all-time best-seller -- have been grounded worldwide since then, while engineers and investigators seek the exact causes of the crashes.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Church apologizes after video shows cleric inviting kids to spit, slap and cut him for Easter lesson
Videos of the incident were posted to social media during a Monday afternoon after-school event held at the church at which Dempsey was speaking of Easter and the crucifixion. In one of the videos, Dempsey is seen standing still while students take turns spitting on him, some striking him, while other students are heard laughing. The mother of a youth, who reportedly employed a knife handed to him by Dempsey to cut the associate pastor at his invitation, said she was alerted to the video by a friend, according to an on-camera interview with WBNS-TV.
- WorldNational Review
'International Network' of Islamic Extremists Believed Responsible for Sri Lanka Church Bombings
Sri Lankan authorities believe a local Islamist militant group, assisted by an “international network” of sympathizers, carried out the string of church and hotel bombings that left 290 people dead and at least 500 injured on Sunday morning. While they have not yet announced the responsible party, the authorities believe members of a local group known as National Thowheed Jamath carried out a total of eight bombings across the country on Sunday. All of the suicide bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but they were assisted by foreign sympathizers, officials announced Monday.
- BusinessReuters
US STOCKS-Futures pull back ahead of earnings; oil stocks jump
U.S. stock index futures dipped on Monday as investors returned from their Easter break and took a cautious stance at the beginning of what is expected to be the busiest week of the first-quarter earnings season. The S&P 500 closed slightly lower last week, ending its three-week winning streak, but hovered about 1% away from a record high hit in September on U.S.-China trade hopes and a largely upbeat earnings season. More than a third of the S&P 500 companies, including Boeing Co, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, will report this week determining whether investors should be concerned about the start of an earnings recession or whether back-to-back quarters of negative growth can be avoided.
- NewsThe National Interest
Army Vet Sues Company That Made 'Defective' Earplugs for the Military
Task and Purpose Security, Americas What will happen? A Texas veteran is suing the company he says knowingly produced and sold defective earplugs which were issued to the U.S. military, leading him and many others to develop hearing problems, including tinnitus. Sgt. Scott D. Rowe, who served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004, told the Houston Chronicle that he's "never at peace" from the "high-pitched frequency" he hears every day, as a result of the earplugs he received from 3M Company.
WorldAssociated PressEx-Marine arrested in North Korea embassy attack in Madrid
A man suspected of involvement in a mysterious dissident group's February raid on North Korea's Embassy in Madrid was arrested in Los Angeles by U.S. authorities. Christopher Ahn, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested and charged Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Separately, on Thursday, federal agents raided the apartment of Adrian Hong, a leader of the Free Joseon group, the person said.
- BusinessConsumer Reports
Best Energy-Efficient Refrigerators
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. The appliances you buy can have a big impact on your energy bill, and those costs get baked into your fixed expenses for years to come.
