French government disgusted by attack on Muslim centre

The French government on Sunday condemned the defacing of an Islamic cultural centre in western France with Islamaphobic slogans, and said an attack on Muslims was an attack on the Republic. The tags, daubed on the side a building used as a prayer room in the city of Rennes, were found shortly before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in France on Tuesday. Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said it was a disgusting attack against the fundamental freedom to believe in a religion and that Muslims deserved the same protection as any other religious group in France.

Florida cops who responded to a noise complaint at house party 'cowered away' after finding out their boss was a guest

Florida cops backed off a noise complaint at a party after they found out their boss was a guest. The officers "cowered away" when partygoers told them the sheriff was inside the house. Florida police officers were in for a big surprise after responding to a noise complaint at a house party last Saturday, only to find that a guest at the event was their own boss.

Italy faces calls to come to terms with its dark wartime past 80 years after invasion of Yugoslavia

For decades, Italians liked to think that their soldiers behaved with decency and compassion during the Second World War, in contrast to the atrocities carried out by their German counterparts. It was a comforting image that was perpetuated by popular culture, including the award-winning 1991 film Mediterraneo about a platoon of hapless soldiers stranded on a tiny Greek island who spend their days playing football with urchins, seducing the local women and swimming in the Aegean. Italy now faces an appeal to confront its past and to acknowledge that its troops massacred civilians, burnt villages and executed prisoners during the war, in some cases on a par with the worst ravages of the Nazis.

Liz Cheney holds off on calling for Matt Gaetz's resignation, says allegations are 'sickening'

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) didn't have much to say when CBS News' Margaret Brennan asked her about her colleague and leading critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), aside from the fact that the allegations against him are "sickening." Gaetz is the subject of multiple investigations from the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee centered around whether he violated sex trafficking laws and, separately, whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel out of state with him.

Prosecutors seek 5-year term for ex-leader of neo-Nazi group

Federal prosecutors in Virginia are seeking a five-year prison sentence for a former neo-Nazi group leader who pleaded guilty to conspiring with other far-right extremists to threaten dozens of targets, including a predominantly African American church, a sitting U.S. Cabinet member and journalists. John Cameron Denton, of Montgomery, Texas, and others involved in the plot made at least 134 threats to injure people and institutions, often for racist reasons, Justice Department prosecutors wrote in a court filing last Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady is scheduled to sentence Denton on Tuesday.

Australia abandons COVID-19 vaccination targets after new advice on AstraZeneca shots

Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca's shot. Australia, which had banked on the AstraZeneca vaccine for the majority of its shots, had no plans to set any new targets for completing its vaccination programme, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon. "While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved," Morrison said.

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  South Korea to resume wider use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, exclude people under 30

  Reuters
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  AstraZeneca says it had positive meeting with EU over vaccine row

  Reuters

Pentagon chief declares 'ironclad' US commitment to Israel

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday declared an “enduring and ironclad” American commitment to Israel, reinforcing support at a tense time in Israeli politics and amid questions about the Biden administration's efforts to revive nuclear negotiations with Israel's archenemy, Iran. Austin's first talks in Israel since he became Pentagon chief in January come as the United States seeks to leverage Middle East diplomatic progress made by the Trump administration, which brokered a deal normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states. After meeting with Defense Minister Benny Gantz in Tel Aviv, Austin said he had reaffirmed “our commitment to Israel is enduring and ironclad."

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  Israel pledges to work with U.S. on Iran

  Reuters
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  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stresses U.S. commitment to Israel's security amid growing Iran tensions

  Axios

A 911 dispatcher in Louisiana was arrested after authorities say she refused to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A woman who worked for more than four years as a sheriff's dispatcher in Louisiana was fired and arrested after authorities say she refused to return more than $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account. According to a report Thursday from nola.com, 33-year-old Kelyn Spadoni of Harvey, Louisiana, was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud, and illegal transmission of monetary funds after she repeatedly evaded requests to return funds inadvertently transferred to her in February.

Las Vegas pushes to become first to ban ornamental grass

A desert city built on a reputation for excess and indulgence wants to become a model for restraint and conservation with a first-in-the-nation policy banning grass that nobody walks on. Las Vegas-area water officials have spent two decades trying to get people to replace thirsty greenery with desert plants, and now they're asking the Nevada Legislature to outlaw roughly 40% of the turf that's left. The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates there are almost 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of “nonfunctional turf" in the metro area — grass that no one ever walks on or otherwise uses in street medians, housing developments and office parks.

Brazil sees 1,803 COVID-19 deaths; Chinese vaccine found 50.7% effective against variant

Brazil on Sunday recorded 1,803 new COVID-19 deaths, as a large study found that a Chinese vaccine that has become the linchpin in the country's vaccination campaign is 50.7% effective against the infectious new homegrown variant known as P1. Brazil, which has in recent weeks become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, saw over 37,000 new cases, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. Sao Paulo's Butantan biomedical institute, which tested and is now producing the CoronaVac vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, said on Sunday a study it conducted found the shot had an efficacy rate of 50.7% against the P1 variant, and a less widespread strain known as P2.

Game of Thrones couple triumph in battle ... against conservation officials

Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie have won a battle to build a new moat wall at their home, despite Historic England saying it could lead to the loss of ancient remains and artefacts. The celebrity couple feared a garden would slide into the moat at their farmhouse in Suffolk after part of the existing 6ft wall collapsed. They said the collapse was putting structural pressure on a small footbridge across the moat and other parts of the wall were suffering “significant lean”.

Top official admits Chinese vaccines have low effectiveness

In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country's top disease control official says their effectiveness is low and the government is considering mixing them to get a boost. Chinese vaccines “don't have very high protection rates,” said the director of the China Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a conference Saturday in the southwestern city of Chengdu. Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses abroad while trying to promote doubt about the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine made using the previously experimental messenger RNA, or mRNA, process.

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  China considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines to boost protection rate

  Reuters
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  China CDC Director: Chinese COVID Vaccines ‘Don’t Have Very High Protection Rates’

  National Review

Duchess of Cornwall's relative accuses wife of lying about her age when they married - denying him the chance of more children

An aristocrat and relative of the Duchess of Cornwall has accused his wife of lying about her age in an ongoing divorce battle, which he claims denied him more children. Charles Villiers, 58, has been embroiled in a six-year divorce case that has so far played out in five different courts and before twelve judges. As part of the ongoing legal battle, he now claims to have unearthed new evidence on one of his wife's previous marriage certificates which would mean she was in fact 40 when they tied the knot, according to the Sunday Times.

Iran calls blackout at underground atomic facility 'nuclear terrorism.' Israeli outlets blame an Israeli cyberattack.

Iran blames a Sunday blackout at a nuclear facility on "nuclear terrorism." The country hasn't assigned blame, but Israeli media has reported an Israeli cyberattack is responsible. The attack comes as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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  Iran announces blackout at nuclear facility, possible Israeli cyber attack

  Axios
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  'Suspicious' blackout strikes Iran's Natanz nuclear site

  Politico

'Really unbelievable': Severe storms in South leave at least 3 dead, thousands without power in Florida

Strong winds, tornadoes, and isolated large hail were expected across southern Florida into Sunday night, the Storm Prediction Center forecasted. A 17-year-old girl died Sunday after stepping on a power line during the strong storm that swept through central Florida. Tornado warnings in Florida largely expired Sunday, a day which capped off the worst of a weekend storm that brought heavy rain, strong winds, hail and lightning to wide areas of the state.

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  Severe storms lash South, unleashing hail, strong winds and a deadly tornado

  Axios
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  Severe Storms Capable of Producing Large Hail and Tornadoes Hit Alabama

  Storyful

Federal Judge Killed in ‘Harry Potter’ Hit-and-Run Crash

A Florida woman who police say was so high on mind-bending drugs that she was screaming she was Harry Potter has been charged with the hit-and-run accident that killed a federal judge. U.S.District Judge Sandra Feuerstein, 75, was mowed down as she strolled down a Boca Raton sidewalk on Friday morning and was pronounced dead at the hospital. A 6-year-old boy, Anthony Ovchinnikov, was injured in the crash, but survived.

Corporate America is still dangerously delusional about what the GOP has become

The GOP corporate America used to know and love is gone. What we have now is an angrier GOP willing to punish companies that disagree with it. Corporations need to hear this, and probably a few half-hearted Republicans do too - former House Speaker John Boehner's GOP isn't coming back.

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  Former GOP House Speaker John Boehner says he doesn't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in today's Republican Party

  Business Insider
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  Former GOP House Speaker John Boehner calls fellow Republican Jim Jordan a 'political terrorist'

  Business Insider

'I hate this home now:' California couple finally changes the locks on their dream house after previous owner refused to leave for over a year

A California couple could finally get into their new home after the former owner refused to leave. Due to the state's eviction moratorium, the seller continued to occupy the property after the couple bought the home. Myles and Tracie Albert were able to change the locks of their home after 15 months.

Sir John Major calls on Royal family to ‘end friction as speedily as possible’

Sir John Major said yesterday that the “friction” between the Royal family and the Duke of Sussex was “better ended as speedily as possible”. The former prime minister spoke about the rift after Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry would fly back from the US to attend the Duke's funeral. Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Sir John was asked whether he agreed with comments made by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who said: “Many a family gather and get over tension and broken relationships at the time of a funeral.

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  Meghan Markle will not attend Prince Philip's funeral, says Buckingham Palace

  Yahoo Celebrity
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  Sir John Major: The Queen has earned the right to space to grieve

  The Press Association

'Hard to process': Mother suspected of killing her three young children involved in custody dispute, report says

A Los Angeles woman who is suspected of killing her three children in their Southern California apartment and then leading police on a long-distance chase to Central California on Saturday was embroiled in a custody dispute over them, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police have identified their mother, Liliana Carrillo, 30, as a suspect in the case. Just after 2 p.m., the LAPD reported that Carrillo was captured near Ponderosa, California, about 160 miles north of Los Angeles.

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  Mother detained after three children fatally stabbed

  NBC News
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  Mother accused of killing her three children in Los Angeles

  The Independent

How Putin or Xi Could Blow It All Up for Biden

Russia has in recent weeks increased troop and military resource deployment on the Crimean peninsula and along the Russian-Ukrainian border. And China has increased aggressive posturing toward Taiwan and within the South and East China Seas that has Asian and U.S. military leaders deeply concerned. While neither a Russian invasion of Ukraine nor a Chinese attack on Taiwan is considered the most likely near-term consequence of their saber-rattling, it does not make these situations less risky.

Ever Given ship forbidden to leave the Suez Canal until its owners pay up to $1 billion in compensation for the chaos it caused

The Ever Given can't leave the Suez Canal until compensations are paid, officials said Thursday. The owner of the Ever Given said it hadn't officially heard from Egyptian authorities yet. While the giant Even Given container ship might have been freed from the banks of the Suez Canal, it still finds itself stuck, embroiled in a row of who should pay for dislodging it from the waterway.