Iraq offers to mediate in crisis between its allies Iran, US

Iraq offered to mediate in the crisis between its two key allies, the United States and Iran, amid escalating Middle East tensions and as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers steadily unravels. Iraqi foreign minister, Mohammed al-Hakim, made the offer Sunday during a joint news conference in Baghdad with visiting Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. "We are trying to help and to be mediators," said al-Hakim, adding that Baghdad "will work to reach a satisfactory solution" while stressing that Iraq stands against unilateral steps taken by Washington.

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  Pakistan PM warns against war in region amid Iran tensions with U.S., Saudi

  Reuters
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  U.S. troop move to Middle East dangerous for international peace: Iran's Zarif

  Reuters

Powerful EF3 tornado kills 2, injures 29 in Oklahoma town recovering from flooding

A powerful, EF3 tornado killed at least two people, destroyed a motel and devastated a mobile home park in the Oklahoma City suburb of El Reno overnight as severe weather continued to threaten the nation's middle section Sunday. Twenty-nine people were injured, some critically, and a search and rescue effort was underway in areas reduced to rubble, El Reno Mayor Matt White said Sunday. The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, about 75 yards wide at its widest point and on the ground for 2.2 miles.

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  Deadly tornado tears through Oklahoma community, still reeling from floods

  Yahoo View
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  The Latest: 2nd apparent tornado hits Oklahoma near Tulsa

  Associated Press

Germany in push to resurrect Afghan talks with Taliban

Germany, a leading donor and member of the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, has been talking with the Taliban and the Afghan government in an effort to restart peace talks to end 18 years of conflict, officials said. While the Taliban have been talking with U.S. officials since October about a withdrawal of international troops, they have so far refused formal talks with the Western-backed government, which they dismiss as a "puppet" regime. Berlin's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Markus Potzel, has visited Kabul for talks with the Afghan government and met Taliban officials in Doha at least twice this month.

Eating Way Too Much Rice Almost Doomed Japan's Imperial Navy

After the war, the Emergency Beriberi Investigative Committee investigated the disease's devastation of Japanese ranks. In August 1882 in Incheon Bay near Seoul, four Japanese warships were locked in a tense stand-off with two Chinese warships that had brought troops to quell a revolt on the Korean peninsula. On paper, the Japanese flotilla outnumbered the Chinese, but the hulls of the Japanese ships hid a deadly secret.

51 attorneys general call on Betsy DeVos to cancel up to 42,000 disabled veterans' student debts

In April last year, DeVos announced a new partnership between the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs that would match borrowers in the Department of Education's records system with disabled veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs records system. People deemed eligible for loan discharges would be mailed a letter including an application for "totally and permanently disabled" (TPD) status. Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, if student borrowers die or become permanently disabled, they are eligible to have their loans forgiven, so a successful granting of TPD status would allow for the complete discharge of student loans.

Pope Francis likens abortion in any scenario to ‘hiring a hitman’

Pope Francis has compared having an abortion to hiring a hitman and said the procedure can never be condoned, even when the foetus is gravely sick. Speaking at a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, he urged doctors and priests to support families to carry all pregnancies to full term. The pontiff said that the matter was not a religious issue but a human one.

Two journalists released in Libya: TV channel

Two Libyan journalists held by an armed group for more than three weeks have been released, the television channel they work for said Saturday. "We congratulate the press world for the release of our two colleagues, Mohamad al-Gurj and Mohamad al-Chibani, who were kidnapped by Haftar's forces on May 2 while they were covering the assault on Tripoli," said the private channel Libya al-Ahrar, which is based in Turkey. The capital's southern suburbs have been the target of an offensive launched April 4 by Khalifa Haftar, military strongman of an eastern administration aimed at seizing Tripoli from an internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

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  Libya's Haftar rules out Tripoli ceasefire, dismisses U.N.-led talks: newspaper

  Reuters
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  2 Libyan reporters taken by commander Hifter's forces freed

  Associated Press

Judge: Anheuser-Busch must pull some ads about MillerCoors

A Wisconsin judge has ordered Anheuser-Busch to stop suggesting in advertising that MillerCoors' light beers contain corn syrup, wading into a fight between two beer giants that are losing market share to small independent brewers. U.S. District Judge William Conley for the Western District of Wisconsin on Friday granted a preliminary injunction sought by MillerCoors that temporarily stops Anheuser-Busch from using the words "corn syrup" in ads without giving more context. MillerCoors sued its rival in March, saying St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch has spent as much as $30 million on a "false and misleading" campaign, including $13 million in its first commercials during this year's Super Bowl.

Judge blocks Trump from building sections of U.S.-Mexico border wall

A federal judge on Friday blocked President Trump from building key sections of his border wall with money secured under his declaration of a national emergency, delivering what may prove a temporary setback on one of his highest priorities.

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  Republican blocks disaster aid bill due to lack of border wall funding

  FOX News Videos
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  Court Blocks Chunk of Border Wall Funds, Citing Trump’s Remarks as a Reason

  Rolling Stone

US sanctions on Iran felt in Iraqi Shiite tourist districts

For years, Karar Hussein has sold sweets in his shop near the entrance to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, accepting whatever currency was offered to him by his clients, many of them religious tourists from neighboring Iran. Hussein and many other shop owners in Baghdad's northern Shiite holy neighborhood of Kadhimiya have seen sales drop sharply over the past year since President Donald Trump began re-imposing sanctions on Iran, home to the largest number of Shiite Muslims around the world. The value of Iran's currency, the rial, has decreased almost fourfold, pushing the price of nearly everything beyond the reach of ordinary Iranian consumers in Iran and abroad.

Macron Chastened as French Voters Hand Narrow Victory to Le Pen

Macron's Republic on The Move had 21.9% of the vote compared with 24.1% for the anti-European National Rally with 90% of ballots counted . In the last EU vote in 2014 Le Pen beat the conservatives by 4 percentage points with Macron's Socialist predecessor Francois Hollande trailing in third. The result is a setback for 41-year-old Macron in his battle for legitimacy as he tries to persuade the rest of the European Union to pursue tighter integration.

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  European elections 2019 results: Brexit Party expected to win most UK seats

  The Telegraph
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  European election results: Green parties surge as 'Green Wave' hits EU

  The Independent

U.S. troop move to Middle East dangerous for international peace: Iran's Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that the U.S. decision to deploy more troops to the Middle East in response to the perceived threat from Iran was "extremely dangerous" for peace. The United States said it was sending 1,500 troops to region in what it called an effort to bolster defenses against Tehran, and it accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for attacks on tankers this month. quot;The Americans have made such allegations to justify their hostile policies and to raise tensions in the Persian Gulf," Zarif told state news agency IRNA.

AD PRO's 20 Favorite Furnishings from ICFF

Miss New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair? Senior style and market editor Benjamin Reynaert shares his favorite new products that launched at the fair Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Jayme Closs kidnapping: Jake Patterson jailed for life for killing girl’s parents and keeping her prisoner

The kidnapper of 13 year-old Jayme Closs has been jailed for life after she told the judge she wanted him “locked up forever” for murdering her parents and keeping her prisoner for 88 days. Jake Patterson, 21, targeted the teenager after spotting her getting on a school bus in a rural area of Wisconsin while he was driving to work at a cheese factory. After two aborted attempts to kidnap her, he dressed up in black clothing, armed himself with his father's shotgun and drove to her home in Barron in the early hours of 15 October.

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  Jayme Closs Says Her Kidnapper "Can't Take My Freedom" In A Powerful Statement

  Refinery29
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  Sentencing for the man who kidnapped Jayme Closs

  ABC News Videos

UN chief rejects Yemen president's accusation of bias

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has assured Yemen's leader that the world body will remain impartial in efforts to resolve the country's conflict, rejecting accusations that its envoy was siding with rebels. The pledge came in a letter from Guterres to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who had accused the UN special envoy to Yemen of bias. "I would like to assure you that every effort will be made to maintain the impartial stance that is expected of the United Nations," while implementing a ceasefire agreement, Guterres said in the letter seen by AFP on Sunday.

Best Exterior Paints From Consumer Reports' Tests

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Exterior paints have improved significantly in recent years.

UN court: Russia must free 3 detained Ukraine ships, sailors

A U.N. maritime tribunal ruled Saturday that Russia must immediately release three Ukrainian naval vessels it captured in November and free the 24 sailors it detained. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued its order at its Hamburg headquarters following a hearing earlier this month. Russia stayed away from both the hearing and Saturday's session.

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  Global tribunal tells Moscow to free Ukrainian sailors 'immediately'

  AFP
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  Russia must release detained Ukrainian sailors: maritime tribunal

  Reuters

Iran state TV fires managers over 'insult' to Sunnis

Iranian state TV has fired two channel managers over a live programme deemed insulting to Sunni Muslims, it said in a statement Sunday. The sackings at Channel 5 came after a broadcast on May 20 celebrating the birthday of the second imam in Shiite Islam, Hassan ibn Ali. During the programme, religious chanter and story-teller Ahmad Qadami recited a eulogy that "insulted the sanctities of Sunni Muslims", according to official news agency IRNA.

Scouted: These Portable Bluetooth Speakers Have a 4.9-Star Average Rating — and Are On Sale Right Now

The folks at one of Scouted readers' favorite electronics brands Anker has repackaged their extremely highly rated Bluetooth speakers into a perfect Father's Day gift — and marked down the price by 23%. The Soundcore Flare portable speakers, which play multi-directional sound and sync to each other for custom style surround sound, are $50 right now (that's the lowest price they've ever been) and come with a limited edition travel case. The enhanced bass, all-around 360-degree sound, and LEDs that phase, pulse, and shine in sync with your music, got reviewers to rate the Flares 4.9 stars, on average — a rare occurrence to be that well-liked.

Congregants grapple with church shooter once their colleague

Minister Joey Spann watched Friday as 27-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson was convicted of first-degree murder for killing one person and wounding seven others when he sprayed Spann's church and its congregants with bullets in 2017. It was hard for Spann to recognize in Samson the same young man who taught Vacation Bible School at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville just years before, and who would sit up front with his cousins to hear Spann preach on Sundays. Spann said he had thought the world of Samson in those days.