WorldAFPTrump: US should 'fully recognize' Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the United States should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, an area seized from Syria and annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. "After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Trump said in a tweet. This is the second recent diplomatic bombshell dropped by Washington, which is Israel's main backer, in seeking to redraw the fraught Middle East map.
- WorldUSA TODAY
Hells Angels, street gangs vow to defend mosques as New Zealand braces for Friday prayers
Street gangs and motorcycle clubs across New Zealand offered to protect the nation's mosques during Friday prayers, but at least one Muslim leader suggests the groups come inside and pray instead. Less than 2 percent of New Zealand's 5 million people are Muslim. Thousands of New Zealanders, however, are expected to join in the prayers Friday in solidarity. Leaders of the Mongrel Mob, Black Power, King Cobras – and even Hells Angels – have said they will stand sentry at many of the mosques.
WorldReutersCitigroup to sell Venezuelan gold in setback to President Maduro: sources
Maduro's government has since 2014 used financial operations known as gold swaps to use its international reserves to gain access to cash after a slump in oil revenues left it struggling to obtain hard currency. Under the terms of the 2015 deal with Citigroup's Citibank, Venezuela was due to repay $1.1 billion of the loan on March 11, according to four sources familiar with the situation. Citibank plans to sell the gold held as a guarantee - which has a market value of roughly $1.358 billion - to recover the first tranche of the loan and will deposit the excess of roughly $258 million in a bank account in New York, two of the sources said.
BusinessConsumer ReportsSome Pickups Lag in Passenger Crash Protection
Because of the results, CR's Overall Score for the Toyota Tundra fell below the threshhold for the vehicle to be recommended, leaving only the Ford F-150 as a CR recommended truck in the full-size category. Pickup trucks are becoming increasingly popular for hauling families as well as cargo,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR's Auto Test Center. That means assessments like this one—that look at passenger safety as well as driver safety—are just as important for pickups as they are for cars and SUVs.
WorldAssociated PressEx-President Temer to give testimony in Brazil after arrest
Brazilian federal police expect to take testimony from ex-President Michel Temer and his former Cabinet minister Wellington Moreira Franco on Friday, a day after both were arrested as part of the country's sprawling Car Wash corruption probe. The probe has ensnared several top politicians and businessmen in the South American country, including former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is currently serving a 12-year sentence. Temer, 78, was arrested on corruption charges Thursday, with prosecutors saying that construction company Engevix paid him bribes in exchange for a contract to build a nuclear power plant in the city of Angra dos Reis in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Bringing the Sting: The U.S. Navy Is Getting New F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
David Axe Security, The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are. The U.S. Navy in mid-March 2019 awarded Chicago plane-maker Boeing a $4-billion contract to build 78 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for the U.S. Navy. The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are.
NewsReutersMissouri River towns face deluge as floods move downstream
A string of small Missouri towns prepared for the next deluge along the raging Missouri River on Wednesday after flooding wreaked nearly $1.5 billion in damage in Nebraska, killing at least four people and leaving another man missing. High water unleashed by last week's late-winter storm and melting snow has already inundated a large swath of Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa along the Missouri River, North America's longest river. The Missouri River's next major flood crest was forecast to hit St. Joseph, Missouri, at 6 a.m. on Friday and Kansas City, Missouri, 55 miles (88 km) to the south, about 24 hours later, said Mike Glasch of the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- NewsThe Independent
JetBlue pilots who drugged and raped flight attendants continued working for airline without repercussion, lawsuit says
Three female flight attendants claim they were drugged and two of them raped by two JetBlue pilots during a layover in Puerto Rico, a new lawsuit filed this week in New York federal court has claimed. At least one of the female flight attendants said she was forced to work with one of the accused pilots after the alleged rape. After making their way to a beach in Puerto Rico near the hotel they were staying during their layover in May of last year, the women were offered sips from one of the flight attendant's alcoholic beverages.
NewsUSA TODAYHarvard University sued over allegedly profiting from what are believed to be the earliest photos of American slaves
Among the photographed: an African man named Renty and his daughter, Delia. Former professor Louis Agassiz, a biologist, had the photos taken to support an erroneous theory called polygenism that he and others used to argue that African-Americans were inferior to white people. Now, a woman who says she is a direct descendant of that father and child – Tamara Lanier, the great-great-great granddaughter of Renty – is suing Harvard over the photos.
PoliticsYahoo NewsKellyanne Conway says Trump is 'protective of me' in feud with her husband
I appreciate the president defending what he thinks is unfairness,” Conway said. Conway's defense is the latest twist in an ongoing three-way psychodrama involving her, her husband and the president, which began when earlier this month George Conway called for a “serious inquiry” into Trump's mental health “whether or not impeachment is in order. In recent days George Conway, a prominent conservative lawyer, tweeted about his wife's boss.
WorldAFPMosque massacre funerals resume with teen laid to rest
A teenager who dreamed of playing in goal for Manchester United was among the latest victims of New Zealand's twin mosque massacre to be buried as funerals resumed Thursday. Hundreds of mourners, including many schoolchildren, gathered for an emotional farewell to Sayyad Milne, a 14-year-old football-mad youngster who was among the 50 people who died in last Friday's rampage by a white supremacist. Sayyad's father John Milne said his son was gunned down while praying at Al Noor, the first of the two mosques attacked last Friday allegedly by Australian national Brenton Tarrant.
WorldAssociated PressVenezuelan opposition aide is seized, US and allies protest
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's top aide was taken away in the middle of the night by masked intelligence agents who broke down his door early Thursday, drawing condemnation from the United States and other countries pushing to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Washington demanded the immediate release of Guaido chief of staff Roberto Marrero, whose whereabouts after the raid on his Caracas home were not immediately disclosed. Marrero was detained as part of an operation against a "terrorist" cell, Interior Minister Nestor Luis Reverol said.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the New 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe
Porsche joins competitors Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz with a coupe version of its Cayenne SUV at a modest price premium over the standard Cayenne and Cayenne Turbo. From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Responding officer testifies in teen's death
The Latest on the homicide trial of a white Pennsylvania police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old (all times local): 6:40 p.m. The second day of the criminal homicide trial of a white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager has ended for the day with compelling witness testimony that included a neighbor saying he heard the officer say "I don't know why I shot him." Former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld's trial will continue Thursday.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
FBI joins criminal probe into Boeing 737 Max 8 safety certification in wake of crashes
The FBI has joined the widening criminal probe into how Boeing's 737 Max 8 jets were deemed as safe in the months before two of them crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, leading to a worldwide grounding of the vaunted planes amid scrutiny of U.S. certification standards. A person familiar with the inquiry told USA TODAY on Wednesday that the FBI is assisting federal transportation authorities in their investigation into the jet's certification process, which has come under criticism for possible cozy relationships between Boeing and FAA inspectors. The two crashes killed more than 300 people since October. Transportation Department officials are leading the investigation into the Federal Aviation Administration approval of the passenger jet, while the FBI is providing needed resources, said the person, who is not authorized to comment publicly.
- NewsReuters
Missouri towns prepare for deluge as floods move downstream
A string of small Missouri towns on Wednesday prepared for the next deluge along the snow-melt-swollen Missouri River after flooding wreaked nearly $1.5 billion in damage in Nebraska, killing at least four people and leaving another man missing. High water unleashed by last week's late-winter storm and swiftly melting snow this week has already inundated a large swath of Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa along the Missouri River, North America's longest river. The Missouri River's next big flood crest was due to hit St. Joseph, Missouri, about 55 miles (89 km) north of Kansas City, Missouri, and Atchison, Kansas, a short distance downstream, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman James Lowe said on a briefing call.
- U.S.KSTU - Salt Lake City
Remains of Missing WWII Pilot Returned Family in Utah
The remains of a World War II pilot who disappeared 74 years ago while flying a mission over Germany were returned to his family in Utah.
WorldBloombergBrexit End Likely to Be Based on a Customs Union, JPMorgan Says
The realities of the Brexit situation indicate that the U.K. is going to end up with “something that's founded on a customs union” with the European Union, according to Karen Ward, chief market strategist for Europe, Middle East and Africa at JPMorgan Asset Management. There are two realities to Brexit,” Ward said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. One is: there is a border between northern and southern Ireland.
PoliticsYahoo NewsPresident Trump's latest executive order is a shot in the campus free speech wars
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday afternoon that the White House has billed as an effort to “improve Transparency and Promote Free Speech In Higher Ed.” The move comes after years of complaints from conservative activists that college campuses are hostile to right-leaning views and speakers. “In America, the very heart of universities' mission is preparing students for life as citizens in a free society, Trump said at the signing ceremony. Trump in his speech referenced some of the cultural buzzwords that have emerged in recent years during debates about speech at universities, such as “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings,” but it's unclear under what circumstances universities would face repercussions based on this new order.
WorldAFPAustralian PM welcomes 'moderation' from Turkey's Erdogan
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday welcomed some "moderation" in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments in the wake of the Christchurch massacre. Trying to take the sting out of a diplomatic row that has threatened relations between Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, Morrison pointed to a recent Erdogan column in the Washington Post as progress. "Overnight, progress has been made on this issue and overnight we've already seen a moderation of the president's views," Morrison said, citing the article in which Erdogan stepped away from direct criticism of New Zealand.
- WorldThe Independent
Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido says senior aide was kidnapped by intelligence agents
The Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has said intelligence agents arrested his chief of staff after a pre-dawn raid, signalling that president Nicolas Maduro may be cracking down on the opposition's challenge to his rule. Mr Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud, and has been recognised by dozens of Western nations as the country's legitimate leader. Mr Maduro, who has overseen a dramatic collapse of the country's economy, has called Mr Guaido a puppet of the United States and said he should “face justice”, but has not explicitly ordered his arrest.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Justice Clarence Thomas breaks three-year silence in Mississippi case about racial bias in jury selection
WASHINGTON – When Clarence Thomas speaks, people listen. The current Supreme Court's longest-serving justice did just that Wednesday, asking two pointed questions near the end of an hour-long oral argument about a Mississippi prosecutor's persistent refusal to seat African-American jurors. Most of the questioning to that point had been detrimental to the state's case against Curtis Flowers, who's been tried six times for the 1996 murders of four people inside a Winona, Mississippi, furniture store.
- NewsAssociated Press
Lithuanian man pleads guilty in $100M internet fraud case
A Lithuanian man who duped Google and Facebook into transferring over $100 million into accounts he controlled pleaded guilty to wire fraud Wednesday. Evaldas Rimasauskas, 50, of Vilnius, Lithuania, entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan, where Judge George B. Daniels set a July 24 sentencing date. Rimasauskas was extradited in August 2017 to New York from Lithuania after his arrest there in March 2017.
BusinessAFPIndonesia's Garuda says to cancel 49-jet Boeing 737 deal after crashes
Indonesia's national carrier Garuda has told Boeing it will cancel a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model. "We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled," Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan said. "The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the plane, he said, adding that the airline was awaiting a response from Boeing.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Minnesota to help Nebraska flood fight
The order came after Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts requested Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter support. Minnesota sent one CH-47 Chinook helicopter with 10 personnel to support flood response operations in Nebraska on Wednesday morning. Minnesota Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen says in a statement that the emergency executive order will remain in effect until the emergency flood conditions in Nebraska ease.
