WorldAFPIS hits Syria army with deadliest attacks since 'caliphate': monitor
Islamic State group jihadists have killed 35 pro-Damascus fighters in Syria, in what a monitoring group described Saturday as their deadliest operation since the fall of the "caliphate". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four senior Syrian army officers were among the troops and allied militiamen killed in the desert east of Homs province over the past 48 hours. The Amaq propaganda arm of IS, which lost the last vestige of its "caliphate" to Kurdish-led forces last month but retains desert and mountain hideouts in both Syria and Iraq, said its fighters carried out the operation.
NewsReutersCalifornia couple sentenced to life in prison in severe child abuse case
David Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise Turpin, 50, had agreed to be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison as part of an agreement with Riverside County prosecutors that saw them plead guilty in February to torture, child abuse and false imprisonment charges. "Their happiness is very important to me." As part of the plea deal, which called for additional charges against both spouses to be dropped, the Turpins will spend the rest of their lives in prison unless granted parole after a mininum of 25 years behind bars, the Riverside County District Attorney said on Twitter. The sentencing marks the culmination of a criminal case that has convulsed the community of Perris, California, some 70 miles (113 km) east of Los Angeles, since an emaciated 17-year-old girl climbed out of a window of the family's home and called 911.
WorldAssociated PressAnger followed Notre Dame grief for yellow vest protesters
But they also felt unheard when French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation to speak about the fire, instead of laying out his response to the social crisis that has fueled their protests since last November. And they felt even more outraged when, in just a few hours, billionaires pledged hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) to help restore the damaged cathedral while their demands remain unsatisfied in their longstanding fight with the French government. "You're there, looking at all these millions accumulating, after spending five months in the streets fighting social and fiscal injustice.
- WorldUSA TODAY
Trump mistakenly tweets millions dead in Sri Lanka explosions on Easter Sunday
In expressing his condolences to those impacted by the Sri Lanka blasts, President Donald Trump initially claimed incorrectly that millions had died in the South Asia country on Easter Sunday. At least 138 people were killed in what appears to be coordinated attacks as the death toll is expected to increase, according to multiple media reports. Hundreds were wounded in a series of explosions that targeted churches and hotels frequented by tourists around the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, the Associated Press and CNN report.
- WorldReuters
Islamic State behind attack on Saudi security north of Riyadh: Arabiya TV
The assailants who attacked a state security building northwest of Riyadh on Sunday are Saudi militants who belong to Islamic State, Saudi-owned Arabiya TV said in a tweet, citing its own correspondent. Saudi state media said authorities thwarted the attack by four militants targeting the Mabaheth (domestic intelligence) station in Zulfi, a small city about 250 km (155 miles) northwest of the capital Riyadh. There has been no Islamic State claim of responsibility for the attack so far, and the authorities did not officially identify the assailants.
- WorldThe National Interest
How the U.S. Navy Sank Imperial Japan's Top Secret Aircraft Carrier
Warfare History Network Security, Asia The first torpedo struck farthest aft. Over the next 30 seconds three more warheads detonated against the massive aircraft carrier's hull, working their way forward. The explosions and instant flooding immediately killed scores of men, many asleep in their bunks.
NewsAssociated PressColumbine honors 13 lost with community service, ceremony
Community members in suburban Denver marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting Saturday with a remembrance ceremony that celebrated the school's survival and by volunteering at shelters, doing neighborhood cleanup projects and laying flowers and cards at a memorial to the 13 people killed. "We're changed," Dawn Anna, whose daughter Lauren Townsend was among the students killed in the school's library, said before a crowd of more than 2,000 gathered in a park near the high school. The events ended a three-day slate of somber gatherings honoring the victims and lending support to their families, survivors of the April 20, 1999, attack and the school's students and staff.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Give Notre Dame a Modern Roof the Alt-Right Will Hate
When the most famous Gothic cathedral in the world burned this week—smoke and flames billowing out from the spire—I took to Twitter to join the chorus of voices who expressed their heartfelt loss. As a historian, I am all too aware of how vulnerable the remains of the Middle Ages are, and a seemingly eternal building such as Notre Dame is no exception. Should it look like something from the Middle Ages, or not?
NewsReutersTiger attacks Kansas zoo keeper after 'error' brought two together
A rare Sumatran tiger attacked a worker at the Topeka Zoo in Kansas on Saturday, wounding the back of her head and neck before other staff members were able to coax the animal away with food, officials said. The zoo keeper was alert and awake when she was rushed to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, city of Topeka spokeswoman Molly Hadfield said by phone. The victim, the primary tiger keeper at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center, was in the predator's outdoor habitat when she was attacked, zoo director Brendan Wiley said at a news conference.
WorldAFPAssad urges progress on Idlib deal ahead of Syria talks
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday called for progress on a stalled buffer zone deal around jihadist-dominated Idlib region ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending his country's eight-year war. Assad met envoy Alexander Lavrentiev from key ally Russia in Damascus to discuss the negotiations due April 25-26 in Kazakhstan. Iran and Russia are the major supporters of the Syrian regime, and along with rebel backer Turkey have sponsored repeated rounds of talks in the Central Asian nation.
- NewsThe Guardian
FBI arrests member of rightwing militia accused of detaining migrants
A member of an armed rightwing militia group accused of illegally detaining migrants at the US-Mexico border has been arrested, officials said on Saturday. Today's arrest by the FBI indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes,” the New Mexico attorney general, Hector Balderas, said in a statement. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for an investigation into the pro-Trump, anti-immigrant men who have been patrolling the border and calling themselves the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP).
- U.S.FOX News Videos
Authorities say investigation into murder of two Indiana schoolgirls is going in 'new direction'
Indiana State Police say they will announce new information about the deaths of Abigail Williams and Liberty German who were found dead on a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana in 2017.
- WorldUSA TODAY
These are the restaurants open Easter: Starbucks, McDonald's, Denny's and more
If you're in the mood to eat out Sunday, you'll find more restaurants are open Easter than were for Christmas. National chains, including Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin', will be open, along with IHOP, Denny's and Waffle House. But according to an analysis by Womply, a small business software provider, 23% fewer restaurants are open on Easter compared with a typical Sunday, so your options might be limited.
- PoliticsTime
Don McGahn Emerged as a Key Player in the Mueller Report
After Trump fired Comey and Mueller was appointed special counsel, the fights between the President and his lawyer grew more intense. Trump was angered when Justice Department ethics officials officially cleared Mueller to serve as special counsel on May 23, and he told McGahn to call Rosenstein, who was in charge of overseeing the investigation. McGahn told the President that he would not call Rosenstein and that he would suggest that the President not make such a call either,” the report said, citing contemporaneous notes taken by one of McGahn's aides.
- StyleCar and Driver
Here Are All of the 2020 Hyundai Sonata's Available Colors—Including Yellow
The new Sonata's color palette has some interesting colors beyond the typical white, gray, and black. From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressNOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. CLAIM: Man who threw boy over Minnesota mall balcony is a Somali immigrant. THE FACTS: The man arrested in the case did not emigrate from Somalia, as posts circulating on social media said.
WorldAFPIS claims deadly attack on Afghan ministry
The Islamic State group Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 10 people and trapped around 2,000 for hours inside the communications ministry in the Afghan capital the previous day. Four IS jihadists detonated explosives near the ministry, then entered and "battled Afghan security forces with machine guns and hand grenades for numerous hours", the group said in a statement on its social media channels. The attack in central Kabul killed seven civilians and three members of the security forces, the interior ministry said on Sunday, in a new toll after three people died of their wounds.
WorldReutersComedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidential race by landslide: exit poll
The apparent landslide victory of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression and a champion of Ukrainian identity. The national exit poll showed Zelenskiy had won 73 percent of the vote with Poroshenko winning just 25 percent. If the poll is right, Zelenskiy, who plays a fictitious president in a popular TV series, will now take over the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West's standoff with Russia following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
- BusinessThe National Interest
The Army Passed on This Glock Gun (And It Could Be Your Gain)
The Army may have chosen Sig Sauer's P320 for its Modular Handgun System program over Glock's offerings, but that doesn't mean you have to: Glock plans on releasing a civilian variant of its 9mm Glock 19 pistol to civilian buyers this month, the company announced today. Glock's commercial pistol, dubbed the 19X, is the company's first stab at a crossover model, combining the Glock 17 frame with a Glock 19 barrel.
NewsAssociated PressOfficials: South Carolina school girl died of natural causes
South Carolina authorities said Friday that the death of a fifth grade girl at school last month was due to natural causes and not a fight with another student, which they described as lasting only seconds. Solicitor Duffie Stone said at a press conference that 10-year-old Raniya Wright died of a congenital condition called an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of abnormal blood vessels in the brain. Raniya had been taken to the doctor after complaining of headaches about two weeks before she died.
NewsAFPIncident on SpaceX pad could delay its first manned flight
A mysterious but apparently serious incident occurred Saturday in Cape Canaveral, Florida involving the SpaceX capsule intended to carry American astronauts into space late this year, the private company and NASA announced. “Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of engine tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida," a SpaceX spokesman said in a statement. A photo on the Florida Today website showed large amounts of smoke pouring out of the test site, and there was speculation about a possible explosion, but neither SpaceX nor NASA would provide any immediate detail.
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
How To Build a Wind Tester
Who needs an anemometer when you have DIY know-how? From Popular Mechanics
PoliticsUSA TODAYGOP Sen. Mitt Romney: 'I am sickened' over Trump's conduct revealed in Mueller report
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said the conduct by President Donald Trump and his campaign outlined in special counsel Robert Mueller's report left him "sickened" and "appalled" — marking one of the first prominent Republicans to make such critical comments of the president in the aftermath of the blockbuster investigation. Romney, R-Utah, offered his reaction on Twitter after reading the full 448-page report, writing that while he was pleased that Mueller concluded that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election, the level of lies and dishonesty outlined in the report left him with the realization of "how far we have strayed from the aspira...
- WorldThe Independent
Pastor apologises for asking students to spit on and cut him in Easter demonstration
A US church has been forced to apologise after a part-time associate pastor urged children to spit on, slap, and even cut him with a steak knife. The preacher at Impact City Church in Ohio, named Jaddeus Dempsey, was leading an after-school activity intended to explain “the very important topic of crucifixion”. Mr Dempsey said the exercise was his idea alone and that no one else knew about his plans.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
The 8 best deals and sales you can get online this Sunday
There's no distraction from meetings or deadlines, so you can really spend time not only browsing the best deals and sales, but also researching your purchases and making sure your money is not going to waste. To help you avoid buying a dud, I sought out the most impressive and worthwhile sales and deals happening right now that I thought you'd want to know about. From a DNA test kit sale to discounts on discounts at Anthropologie to a sale on helpful tech accessories, here are this weekend's best ways to shop.
