US Navy seizes weapons in Arabian Sea likely bound for Yemen

The U.S. Navy announced Sunday it seized an arms shipment of thousands of assault weapons, machines guns and sniper rifles hidden aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea, apparently bound for Yemen to support the country's Houthi rebels. An American defense official told The Associated Press that the Navy's initial investigation found the vessel came from Iran, again tying the Islamic Republic to arming the Houthis despite a United Nations arms embargo. Iran's mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Tehran has denied in the past giving the rebels weapons.

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  U.S. 5th Fleet seizes weapons shipment from stateless dhow in Arabian Sea

  Reuters
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  USS Monterey intercepts arms shipment in Arabian Sea

  NBCU

A 34-year-old Rhode Island man died after he was handcuffed by police officers and laid on his stomach for about 90 seconds, reports say

A 34-year-old Rhode Island man died after being handcuffed by police on Friday morning. Police said officers responded at around 12:30 a.m. to a report of a man, identified as Joseph Ventre, yelling in the street under the influence, the Associated Press and Providence Journal reported.

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  US authorities investigate death in police custody

  Associated Press Videos
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  Rhode Island man handcuffed by police dies

  NBC News

Ethiopian Orthodox Church head says genocide is taking place in Tigray

The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church has said that atrocities amounting to genocide are being committed in Tigray, in his first comments on the conflict in the region that broke out in November and has killed thousands. Abune Mathias, who has been head of the church since 2013, did not say who was responsible for this. Dennis Wadley, who heads a U.S.-based church group called Bridge of Hope International, said Abune Mathias had asked him to post the video.

Melinda Gates had been seeking a divorce from Bill since 2019 after his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein became public, the WSJ reports

Melinda Gates reportedly considered divorce for two years before officially filing for one. Melinda Gates has been meeting with divorce lawyers for years before deciding to split up from Bill Gates, the Wall Street Journal reported. The decision rocked the philanthropic and tech communities but was a long time coming, according to the Journal.

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  Melinda Gates has been trying to divorce Bill since 2019 after controversial Epstein report

  The Independent
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  Melinda Gates Reportedly Consulted Divorce Lawyers in 2019 Over Husband’s Jeffrey Epstein Relationship

  Complex

Sudan says Ethiopian peacekeepers deported to refugee camp

Sudanese authorities on Sunday deported around three dozen Ethiopian peacekeepers, working on the U.N. mission in Darfur, to a refugee camp, the state-run news agency reported. Al-Fateh Ibrahim Mohammed, head of the refugee agency in North Darfur province, said the troops are among 120 Ethiopian forces from the Tigrayan ethnic group, who have sought asylum in Sudan after their stay ended earlier this year, according to the SUNA news agency. He said the the troops, including 14 women, refused to return after being recalled by their home country, Ethiopia, for fear of being detained by the federal government in Addis Ababa.

Man shot to death at Vancouver's airport in gang incident

A 28-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday at the Vancouver International Airport in what Canadian authorities said was a gang-related slaying. The man was shot near the departure terminal at the airport, which is in neighboring Richmond, British Columbia. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Frank Jang said the victim was known to police and the incident was related to a gang conflict the region has seen lately.

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  Man killed in Vancouver airport shooting

  Reuters Videos
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  Man fatally shot at Vancouver airport in gang-related violence

  The Press Association

Chinese rocket debris lands in Indian Ocean, draws criticism from NASA

Remnants of China's biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with most of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit but drawing U.S. criticism over lack of transparency. The coordinates given by Chinese state media, citing the China Manned Space Engineering Office, put the point of impact in the ocean, west of the Maldives archipelago. Debris from the Long March 5B has had some people looking warily skyward since it blasted off from China's Hainan island on April 29, but the China Manned Space Engineering Office said most of the debris was burnt up in the atmosphere.

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  Chinese rocket debris falls into Indian Ocean amid US criticism

  Engadget
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  China says most rocket debris burned up during reentry

  Associated Press

Delta and United are now offering flights to all of the European tourist countries welcoming vaccinated Americans

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have added flights to the three mainstream European countries open to Americans: Iceland, Croatia, and Greece. All three countries are welcoming US tourists with proof of vaccination, with some also allowing for just a negative COVID-19 test. American Airlines hasn't been as nimble, focusing more on South America and only launching flights to Greece and Israel for the summer.

Chad claims win over rebels after President Déby's death

The military in Chad has claimed victory against northern rebels following weeks of fighting. The conflict against Libya-based rebels threw the country into a crisis when President Idriss Déby died after being wounded on the frontline last month. The military takeover under the leadership of Mr Déby's son has been condemned by the opposition and civil society groups, leading to protests.

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, critically 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.

Packs of hyenas hunted Neantherthal man as prey and devoured their corpses in caves, a new find has revealed

Archaeologists have found the fossilized remains of nine Neanderthals in a cave near Rome, Italy. The Neanderthals were allegedly hunted and mauled to death by hyenas, experts say. Archaeologists have discovered the fossilized remains of nine Neanderthals who were hunted and mauled to death by a pack of hyenas in a cave just outside Rome, the Italian Culture Ministry announced Saturday.

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  Extraordinary Fossils Of 9 Neanderthals Discovered In Cave Outside Rome

  HuffPost
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  Remains of nine Neanderthals discovered near Rome

  Reuters Videos

U.S. House Republicans expected to oust Trump critic Cheney despite risk of deepening divisions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top U.S. Republicans on Sunday sought to portray their expected ouster of Representative Liz Cheney as an act of unity, despite warnings that the move could deepen divisions over former President Donald Trump and sink party hopes in the 2022 elections. In the strongest sign yet that Cheney faces defeat in a party vote expected on Wednesday, the top Republican in the House of Representatives said he would back congresswoman Elise Stefanik to replace the Wyoming Republican as chair of the 212-member House Republican Conference. Republicans hope to reclaim majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives in next year's congressional elections.

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  U.S. House Republicans expected to oust Liz Cheney despite risk of deepening divisions

  Yahoo News Video
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  House GOP leader says he backs ousting Cheney from No. 3 job

  Associated Press

Long suspected of murder, she confessed but avoided prison

There was no shortage of tips about who killed Pamela Pitts, a rowdy but compassionate 19-year-old whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a pile of trash in 1988. In it, Harmon's father said she never told him what actually happened.

EU talks up support for Afghanistan as security declines

European Union foreign ministers on Monday debated ways to maintain support for Afghanistan's beleaguered government after a brutal weekend attack on a girls' school underscored deep concern that violence will spread as U.S.-led troops leave the country. With the departure of foreign troops just a few months away, European governments are still trying to work out what kind of diplomatic presence they will keep in Afghanistan and who will provide security for them. Just hours after the Taliban announced a cease-fire for later this week, a bus in southern Zabul province struck a roadside mine on Monday killing 11 people.

I flew on United's new ultra-premium transcontinental flight from New York to California and it's now my least favorite way to cross the US in economy

United just began flying between New York City and California again for the first time since 2015. Flights use John F. Kennedy International Airport and are flown by a premium-configured Boeing 767-300ER offering 46 business class seats, 22 premium economy seats, and 99 economy seats. In economy, however, many of the most desirable seats are dubbed "Economy Plus" and come at a premium, with few options to get a good seat for those that don't want to pay up.

Republicans are counting on lies and brute force to win elections. Just like in 2020.

The path from Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally to the Capitol was paved with lies about the 2020 election. Now, lies about what happened on Jan. 6 are becoming the Republican Party's only strategy to regain power – and it's working. The Republican Party doesn't have a governing agenda.

China to draw 'separation line' on peak of Mount Everest

China will draw a “separation line” atop Mount Everest to prevent the coronavirus from being spread by climbers ascending Nepal's side of the mountain, Chinese state media reported Monday. A team of Tibetan mountaineering guides will set up the separation line at the peak before climbers attempt to reach the summit from the Chinese side, state-owned Xinhua News Agency said. It is not clear what the separation line will be made of.

India's Covid crisis delivers a blow to brand Modi

"Modi leads India out of a lockdown and into a Covid apocalypse," declared a recent headline in the UK Sunday Times. The Australian newspaper re-published the story with a scathing summary: "Arrogance, hyper-nationalism and bureaucratic incompetence have combined to create a crisis of epic proportions, critics say, as India's crowd-loving PM basks while citizens literally suffocate." It earned a rebuke from India, but there's no denying the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cherished image has taken a bad hit.

MAGA Attorneys General Are Winning a GOP Civil War

Four months after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a top Republican group is still reeling from the day's events. But unlike participants in the riot, who were eventually expelled from the Capitol and many of whom face criminal charges, a Trumpist faction linked to pre-riot organizing is still making inroads at the Republican Attorneys General Association, while more moderate members quit in disgust. The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) is the top national organization for securing GOP wins in state attorney general races.

Trump presidency was ‘worst four years’ ever for GOP, Republican governor says

The Republican governor of Maryland described Donald Trump's presidency as “the worst four years” that his party has “ever” endured. Larry Hogan, a frequent Trump critic, told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that the GOP has now shaped itself into a “sort of a circular firing squad” against its members. “I think we've got to get back to winning elections again, and we have to be able to have a Republican Party that appeals to a broader group of people,” Mr Hogan said.

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  GOP Gov. Larry Hogan Slams His Party's Division Over 'Fealty To The Dear Leader'

  HuffPost
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  Larry Hogan: GOP turning into 'circular firing squad' over Trump loyalty

  NBC News

Nebraska death sentences continue despite no execution drugs

But as the state adds to its death row population, the lawyers, judges and prison officials who oversee Nebraska's system of capital punishment largely ignore the fact that the state has no lethal injection drugs and very likely won't get any for years, if ever. Those sentenced to death have a better chance of dying of natural causes than being executed. While the nation remains divided over capital punishment, Nebraska stands out for its peculiar version of the institution: it's still wedded to the idea of executing prisoners, just not the practical part of doing it.

China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy

China has been rolling out a system that ranks its citizens based on their "social credit." The Chinese Communist Party has been constructing a moral ranking system for years that will monitor the behavior of its enormous population - and rank them all based on their "social credit." The "social credit system," first announced in 2014, is "an important component part of the Socialist market economy system and the social governance system" and aims to reinforce the idea that "keeping trust is glorious and breaking trust is disgraceful," according to a 2015 government document.

Norway should exclude J&J, AstraZeneca from COVID vaccination scheme, says commission

Norway should exclude the COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson in its inoculation program due to a risk of rare but harmful side-effects, a government-appointed commission said on Monday. Those who would volunteer to take either of the two vaccines should however be allowed to do so, the commission added. Authorities on March 11 suspended the AstraZeneca rollout after a small number of younger inoculated people were hospitalised for a combination of blood clots, bleeding and a low count of platelets, some of whom later died.