WorldReutersVatican voices 'shame and sorrow' over damning sex abuse report
In a long statement that broke the Vatican's silence over a damning U.S. grand jury report that has shaken the American Church, spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See was taking the report "with great seriousness". The grand jury on Tuesday released the findings of the largest-ever investigation of sex abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church, finding that 301 priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years.
NewsAssociated PressTrump nixes $92M military parade, blames DC for high cost
President Donald Trump said Friday he had canceled plans for a Veterans Day military parade, citing the "ridiculously high" price tag — a day after U.S. officials said the November event could cost $92 million, more than three times the price first suggested by the White House. The Defense Department had announced Thursday there would be no parade in 2018.
WorldAFPTaiwan hotel axes Marriott contract over China naming row
The owner of a Starwood-branded hotel in Taiwan said Thursday it will terminate its contract with Marriott International, in protest over the US group caving in to Beijing pressure to list the island as part of China. Marriott was strongly criticised by Chinese authorities in January for listing Taiwan -- along with Tibet and Hong Kong -- as separate countries, all regions which Beijing claims under its authority.
- NewsTime
Police Arrest Man Believed to Be Connected to 46 Overdoses in a Connecticut Park
No deaths were reported, but officials said two people had life-threatening symptoms. Most of the overdoses were on the New Haven Green, a popular, historic downtown park that borders part of Yale University, and officials said they expected the overdose total to increase. “Do not come down to the Green and purchase this K2,” New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell told WVIT-TV.
NewsAssociated PressCalifornia high court rules for immigrant kids in visa fight
The California Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for some immigrant children who are abused or abandoned by a parent to seek a U.S. visa to avoid deportation in a ruling that advocates said would help thousands of children. State judges cannot require that children drag an absentee parent living abroad into court in their visa application process, the justices said in a unanimous decision. Immigration rights advocates had warned that such a requirement would make it nearly impossible for the children to fight deportation.
- ScienceInverse
Muppets in Space? NASA’s High-Res Image of Mars Comes With Pareidolia
Sorry, Elon Musk, but Beaker is now the first scientist to colonize Mars. NASA published a high-resolution photo of a dust storm on Mars’ south pole, revealing a case of pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon of seeing faces or shapes in unrelated objects. The appearance of Beaker was so well-defined in the Martian landscape that even the agency couldn’t deny his appearance.
WorldAFPQatar promises $15 bn investment in Turkey: presidency
Qatar on Wednesday promised to make a $15 billion direct investment in Turkey, badly hit by a currency crisis amid a widening diplomatic standoff with the United States, officials said. "Qatar has pledged $15 billion of direct investments in Turkey," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter. The announcement came after Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held lunchtime talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- U.S.Woman's Day
12 Ways Teachers Save Money on Back-to-School Shopping
Let's be honest, who knows better than them?From Woman's Day
NewsReutersTrump defends ex-aide Manafort as jury weighs verdict
In an indication that the six women and six men of the jury may not reach a verdict on Friday, they sent the judge a note asking that they be permitted to finish their work for the day at 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) because one juror has a social engagement. In remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump again called Mueller's investigation, which had cast a cloud over his presidency, a "rigged witch hunt," but sidestepped a question about whether he would issue a presidential pardon for Manafort. The jurors met for about seven hours on Thursday without reaching a verdict on 18 criminal counts with which Manafort is charged.
- NewsInside Edition
Colorado Killings: Bodies of Pregnant Mom Shanann Watts, 2 Kids Found After Dad Chris Watts Allegedly Confesses to Murders
Colorado authorities have found the bodies of two children who were allegedly killed by their father, Chris Watts. The discovery came just hours after police found remains believed to be the girls' pregnant mother, 34-year-old Shanann Watts, at her husband’s place of work on Thursday. “While we will not disclose the location as to where these bodies were located, police can say that they were found in close proximity to the other body whom officers strongly believe is Shanann’s,” the Town of Frederick said in a statement on its Facebook page.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA director who has criticized the White House
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders began her briefing on Wednesday by reading a statement from President Trump announcing his decision to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, a prominent critic of the current administration. The statement went on to list other current and former officials whose clearances would be under review. Brennan served as CIA director from 2013 until Trump took office last year.
- WorldReuters Videos
Passenger films Xiamen Airlines flight overshooting runway
A Xiamen Air flight veers off a rain-soaked runway when it lands in Manila's main airport, which causes widespread disruptions to flights. No reporter narration.
WorldReutersChina sacks top official over vaccine scandal, firm may de-list
China has sacked a senior provincial official and is probing a former top drug regulator after a safety scandal at vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co Ltd, which again warned it could be delisted over the scandal. The company was accused in July of falsifying data for a rabies vaccine and manufacturing an ineffective vaccine for babies, sparking widespread consumer anger. While there were no known reports of people being harmed by the vaccines, regulators ordered Changsheng to halt their production and recall the rabies vaccine.
NewsAssociated PressPolice say remains are 'consistent' with missing Iowa boy
Human remains recovered from a creek this week are believed to be those of a 16-year-old autistic boy who vanished from his small Iowa hometown in April, authorities said Thursday. Jake Wilson's disappearance had prompted a search involving the FBI, state and local police officers, and hundreds of volunteers in La Porte City, a town of 2,300 in northeastern Iowa. Wilson was last seen April 7, when he said he was going for a walk blocks from his home along Wolf Creek, which winds through La Porte City.
- NewsTime
Boy Repeatedly Stabs 14-Year-Old Girl During School Assembly in Oklahoma, Police Say
Mark Opgrande, spokesman for the Oklahoma County sheriff, said the unidentified 14-year-old suspect is in custody. Opgrande said the girl, who also was not identified, was in stable condition after being stabbed “multiple times … five, six, seven times” by the boy at Luther High School. Opgrande referred other questions to Luther police, who did not immediately return phone calls for comment.
BusinessAFPBayer presses on with Monsanto integration as stock suffers
German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer said Thursday it would finally begin integrating US seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto into its business, after meeting competition authorities' final conditions for the merger. Two months after it bought the US firm, "the integration of Monsanto into the Bayer Group can begin," the Leverkusen-based company said. Thursday saw Bayer complete the sale of a final tranche of crop science businesses worth 5.9 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to rival BASF under concessions imposed by cartel watchdogs.
- WorldAssociated Press
Israel eases Gaza restrictions amid cease-fire efforts
Israel on Wednesday opened its only cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip weeks after closing it amid a surge in violence with the Islamic militant group Hamas. The reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing came as Egypt was stepping up efforts to broker a lasting cease-fire. Kerem Shalom is the main commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and serves as the primary avenue for food, fuel, construction materials and aid to enter the beleaguered Palestinian territory.
NewsAFP'Devastating' dolphin loss in Florida red tide disaster
A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as the worst red tide in a decade blackens the ocean water, killing dolphins, sea turtles and fish at a relentless pace. More than 100 tons of dead sea creatures have been shoveled up from smelly, deserted beaches in tourist areas along Florida's southwest coast as a result of the harmful algal bloom this month alone. In just the past week, 12 dolphins washed ashore dead in Sarasota County, typically the toll seen in an entire year.
- NewsInside Edition
Long-Lost U.S. WWII 'Dakota' Plane Found in Melting Swiss Glacier
The American C-53 Skytrooper plowed into the Gauli Glacier in the Bernese Alps on Nov. 19, 1946. At the time, it was the largest alpine rescue operation and was considered the birth of the Swiss air rescue team. The military transport airplane, known as the "Dakota," had been buried by ice until the summer's heat wave began melting the aircraft's snowy coffin.
- WorldThe Independent
Trump says US 'will pay nothing' to Turkey for release of detained American pastor Andrew Brunson
US president Donald Trump has warned Turkey that he will “pay nothing” to secure the release of imprisoned American pastor and “great patriot”, Andrew Brunson. “We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man, but we are cutting back on Turkey!” a tweet from the president late on Thursday said. On Friday, Turkey threatened further action if the US followed through on several promises to levy heavy sanctions unless Mr Brunson was released.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Republicans Are Using An Unprecedented Partisan Vetting Process To Rush Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation
WASHINGTON ― Republicans are circumventing the normal vetting process for Supreme Court nominees with an unprecedented partisan undertaking in order to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s high court pick, by Oct. 1, the start of the new term. The National Archives and Records Administration, which has historically been tasked with producing documents relating to Supreme Court nominees, distanced itself from the group of George W. Bush lawyers currently working on releasing Kavanaugh documents from his time in the Bush administration. The archival staff is conducting its own review of the nominee’s record, as requested by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), but they will not be able to fully comply until late October due to the sheer number of documents involved.
NewsReutersJury in Manafort trial asks U.S. judge about 'reasonable doubt'
The case is the first to go to trial stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election, although the charges largely predate Manafort's five months working on Trump's campaign, including three as chairman. Before wrapping up their work for the day, the jurors asked U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis their first questions, including the definition of "reasonable doubt." In a criminal case the jury must find a defendant guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." "The government is not required to prove beyond all possible doubt," Ellis said, responding to a note from the jury with the questions. Ellis added that reasonable doubt was "doubt based on reason." The other questions delved into details of the case.
WorldAssociated PressItaly hunts for blame in bridge collapse that killed 39
As more bodies were pulled Wednesday from a mountain of jagged concrete and twisted steel left by a highway bridge collapse that killed 39, prosecutors focused on possible design flaws and past maintenance of the heavily used span, and politicians squabbled over blame. As a second night descended on the site where part of the Morandi Bridge plunged some 45 meters (150 feet), Interior Minister Matteo Salvini declined to say how many people might still be buried in the debris where about 1,000 rescue workers searched for victims. The collapse occurred about midday Tuesday, the eve of Italy's biggest summer holiday, when traffic was particularly busy on the 51-year-old span that links two highways — one leading to France, the other to Milan — from this northwestern port city.
BusinessReutersTesla sinks after Musk opens up about going private tweet in NYT interview
The electric car maker's stock was set for its worst day in nearly five months as Musk's comments come at a time when federal regulators are pressuring Tesla's directors for details on how much information he shared with them. The paper also reported that efforts were underway to find a No. 2 executive to help take some of the pressure off Musk, who has been dealing with production issues for its key Model 3 sedan and criticized for his erratic behavior on Twitter. "There are growing concerns that the board may consider changing his specific role from CEO and chairman and there could be pressure from the SEC to do this as well based on his tweeting activity," said Ivan Feinseth, analyst at Tigress Financial Partners.
- EntertainmentAutoClassics
Top 10 American car shows revealed
The Los Angeles Convention Centre and its 760,000 square feet of space means there is a ridiculous variety of machinery at the LA Auto Show. Dedicated to customised vehicles and hot rods, Capitola’s Californian coastline location means spectators can see the cars drive to their positions for the weekend. The Radwood element also sees owners of 1970s and ’80s cars donning period dress.
