Russia says troop buildup near Ukraine is a response to NATO

Russia's defense minister said Tuesday that the country's massive military buildup in the west was part of readiness drills amid what he described as threats from NATO. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the maneuvers in western Russia that have worried neighboring Ukraine and brought warnings from NATO would last for another two weeks. Speaking at a meeting with the top military brass, Shoigu said the ongoing exercise was a response to what he claimed were continuous efforts by the United States and its NATO allies to beef up their forces near Russia's borders.

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  NATO, US vow support for Ukraine, warn Russia on troops

  Associated Press
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  NATO, U.S. demand Russia end Ukraine build-up, West examines options

  Reuters

Chauvin defense witnesses testify about George Floyd's opioid use

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -Lawyers for Derek Chauvin on Tuesday began presenting their case in the former Minneapolis policeman's murder trial, calling to the stand a now-retired officer who pulled over a car in which Floyd was a passenger in 2019 - a year before his deadly encounter with Chauvin. Chauvin's lead attorney, Eric Nelson, argued in court filings that the earlier arrest supported his defense that a drug overdose may have caused Floyd's death in May 2020, not a lack of oxygen caused by Chauvin kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, as prosecutors charge. Nelson showed the jury a video taken by a body-worn camera during the May 6, 2019, traffic stop in which Floyd became distressed as the officer, Scott Creighton, pointed a gun at him and ordered him out of a car.

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  George Floyd’s brother gets emotional on witness stand

  Yahoo News Video
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  In 2019 arrest, Floyd said 'he was addicted' to opioids -witness

  Reuters Videos

Trump skewers FDA's Johnson & Johnson decision — then casually invents conspiracy theory blaming Pfizer

Former President Donald Trump released a statement Tuesday criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, baselessly suggesting the decision was politically motivated. "The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary, but now it's [sic] reputation will be permanently challenged," Trump said. "[The FDA] should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it," he said.

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  FDA and CDC announce a pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

  Yahoo News Video
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  Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause: Trump blames Biden and complains about FDA hurting his election chances

  The Independent

Analysis: Iran's powerful Guard faces scrutiny after attacks

The recent sabotage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility is just the latest setback for the country's Revolutionary Guard, though the paramilitary force is rarely publicly criticized due to its power. Its forces failed to stop both an earlier attack at Iran's Natanz facility and the assassination of a top scientist who started a military nuclear program decades earlier. In the wake of the attack, Iran announced Tuesday it would begin enriching uranium at 60% purity, the highest level its program has ever reached.

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  Iran says it will enrich uranium to 60%, highest level ever

  Associated Press
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  Iran to begin 60% uranium enrichment after nuclear site incident

  Reuters

‘A love for each other.’ Friends mourn Texas brother, sister killed in backhoe incident

A community in North Texas is rallying around a family more than a week after they lost a daughter and a son in an accident involving a backhoe, and the father who was operating the machine was charged in their deaths. Sonakshi Chauhan, the 7-year-old daughter, and Shivraj Chauhan, the 11-year-old son, had “a love for each other” that “was unlike any brother-sister duo,” friends of the family and religious acquaintances wrote on a GoFundMe page honoring the two young children. Sonakshi is described on the page as a playful and compassionate person, who was also a graceful dancer.

The World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market

These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Exclusive: Government forced to defend Army cuts amid growing threat from Russia

The Government will be forced to defend the logic of Army cuts in the face of increasing threats from Russia. Labour will on Wednesday use an opposition day motion to question the Tories over its 2019 election manifesto pledge, in which Boris Johnson said he would “not be cutting the armed services in any form”. However the recent Command Paper revealed that as part of its pivot towards cyber, the Ministry of Defence would axe more than 100 aircraft, reduce the size of the army from 82,000 to 72,500 and cut a number of tanks.

Court rejects appeal of killer of 3 in home invasion

The Connecticut Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a man convicted of murder, sexual assault and other crimes in the killings of a woman and her two daughters, ages 11 and 17, in a 2007 home invasion. Justices issued a 7-0 decision Monday upholding the convictions against Joshua Komisarjevsky. Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes are serving life prison sentences for the killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home.

Biden sends unofficial delegation to Taiwan in 'personal signal'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and former Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg headed to Taiwan on Tuesday at President Joe Biden's request, in what a White House official called a "personal signal" of the president's commitment to the Chinese-claimed island and its democracy. A senior Biden administration official told Reuters the dispatch of the "unofficial" delegation comes as the United States and Taiwan mark the 42nd anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, for which Biden voted when he was a U.S. senator. The delegation will meet with senior Taiwanese officials and followed "a long-standing bipartisan tradition of U.S. administrations sending high-level, unofficial delegations to Taiwan," the official said.

Daunte Wright shooting: Police chief resigns over black motorist's death

The police chief of the city where a black motorist was killed has resigned along with the officer who shot him. Police Chief Tim Gannon and Officer Kim Potter quit the Brooklyn Center force two days after the death of Daunte Wright sparked two nights of unrest. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said that he had appointed 19-year veteran Tony Gruenig to take over for Tim Gannon.

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  Minnesota Police Chief Resigns After Daunte Wright's Killing

  HuffPost
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  Police say fatal shooting of Daunte Wright appears to be accidental

  Yahoo News

Glue traps attached to trees to tackle moths are killing bats, Mammal Society warns

A rise in glue traps attached to trees to tackle invasive moths is killing bats, the head of the Mammal Society has said amid warnings of a "biodiversity emergency". Tree barrier glue is used to protect fruit trees from caterpillars which would eat the whole crop. However, environmental campaigners have argued that bats feed on these grubs, so it would be better for biodiversity and the orchards if the mammals were encouraged.

Georgia lawmaker's legal work targeted again over voting law

Protesters are trying to get a Georgia state representative fired by cities and counties that pay him to be their attorney, citing his role in pushing through a voting law that adds restrictions. The Washington City Council voted 4-2 to ask Rep. Barry Fleming to resign Monday, WJBF-TV reports. It's not clear if the city can immediately fire the Republican from Harlem because Washington has a contract with Fleming's law firm.

Mistaking Asian woman as white, Asian man attacks her over hate crimes, CA cops say

An Asian man was arrested after California police say he kidnapped and tried to sexually assault an Asian woman, believing she was white, in retaliation for the rise in hate crimes against Asians. Michael Sangbong Rhee, 37, was arrested Thursday night at his Lake Forest home, Irvine police said in a Facebook post. Rhee was charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual assault and is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite comes within 60m of crash with another owned by British-backed firm

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite prompted a 'red alert' warning after coming within 60m of smashing into another satellite owned by a British-backed firm. Engineers at OneWeb and SpaceX scrambled to avoid what could have been a disastrous collision last month after the United States Space Force sent multiple "red alert" warnings that the two companies' satellites were about to crash. Both SpaceX and OneWeb are in direct competition to establish an infrastructure of satellites that can provide high-speed and low-latency internet access to remote or rural locations around the world that were left behind by traditional cable-based providers.

Lebanon extends area claimed in border dispute with Israel

Lebanon's outgoing minister of public works said Monday that he has signed a decree that would increase the area claimed by the Mediterranean country in a maritime border dispute with Israel. Public Works Minister Michel Najjar told reporters that he has signed an amendment of the decree that would formally extend Lebanon's claims by 1,430 square kilometers (550 square miles). The unilateral move by Lebanon is likely to anger Israel and the U.S. who are not expected to recognize Beirut's extension of the disputed area.

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  Lebanon PM approves expansion of area claimed in maritime dispute with Israel

  Reuters
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  Lebanon's president says new maritime claim needs government approval

  Reuters

Majority of Brazil COVID-19 ICU patients aged 40 years or younger: report

The surging COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data showing that last month the majority of those in intensive care were aged 40 or younger, according to a new report. The report, released by the Brazilian Association of Intensive Medicine over the weekend, is based on data from over a third of all the country's intensive care wards. It found a significant increase in younger people being admitted to beds in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

Officers on leave after video shows Black man being beaten, North Carolina mayor says

Two police officers in North Carolina are on leave after a video posted on social media shows them beating a Black man. In an 18-second clip shared on Facebook Monday evening, officers are seen chasing and punching a man later identified as 36-year-old David Lee Bruton Jr. Police were looking for him after a Little Caesars restaurant worker in Kinston accused him of threatening her, according to an incident report from police. Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment Tuesday but told The Kinston Free Press the officers have been put on administrative leave while police investigate.

Republican accused of abuse by his children resigning from Missouri House

Rep. Rick Roeber, a Lee's Summit Republican facing accusations by his adult children that he physically and sexually abused them when they were young, is resigning from the Missouri House. In a letter to other lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, Roeber said his final day as a state legislator will be Friday. Roeber's announcement came shortly after The Independent reported on a letter House Speaker Rob Vescovo wrote to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Backer stating that over the course of the House Ethics Committee investigation, “we have learned information that needs to be forwarded to the proper authorities in your jurisdiction.”

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  Missouri legislators investigating Rick Roeber ask prosecutor to ensure ‘safety’ of child

  Kansas City Star
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  Disgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids

  Kansas City Star

14 Ways to Do Memphis Without Doing Memphis

You don't have to commit to full-on maximalism to make a statement Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Exclusive: We won't make customers show Covid passports, hospitality firms warn Boris Johnson

More than 60 restaurant owners, nightclub operators and other hospitality figures have told Boris Johnson that they will not force customers to show Covid passports. In a letter to the Prime Minister, seen by The Telegraph, the signatories make clear their opposition to Covid status certification being used in hospitality settings. "We will not be forcing our patrons to show us any documentation referring to health status to gain entry," one line of the letter reads.

Bally's buying Tropicana hotel on Las Vegas Strip for $308M

The Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, a Sin City namesake, is being sold to a new entrant among Las Vegas Boulevard resort owners. Rhode Island-based Bally's Corp. announced Tuesday it will acquire the iconic Strip property from Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. for about $308 million. The agreement for the nearly 1,500-room hotel, casino, theater and convention property also involves a sale-and-leaseback transaction relating to Bally's Black Hawk, Colorado and Rock Island, Illinois, casino properties, the company said.

Moderna says protection from its COVID-19 vaccine still strong six months on

The company has also started testing new versions of the vaccine that target a concerning new variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in South Africa and is known as B.1.351. It said both versions of the vaccine that it is testing, including a multivalent vaccine that combines the newly designed vaccine with the previous one, increased neutralizing antibody titers against variants of concerns in mice, with the multivalent providing the broadest level of immunity. The company in March began testing three approaches to boosting the vaccine in order to protect against new variants.

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  Don't worry about coronavirus variants overpowering vaccines, experts say

  Yahoo News
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  Americans roll up sleeves for variant vaccine

  Associated Press Videos