| Suspect Charged In Young Woman's Horrific Stabbing Death On Oakland Transit Posted: 23 Jul 2018 11:30 PM PDT  A man with a history of violence has been charged in what police said appears
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| Daily Digit: Teachers made less last year than they did in 2010 Posted: 23 Jul 2018 06:21 AM PDT  With a new school year on the horizon, we're looking at how public school teachers are paid in the U.S. According to the National Education Association, public school teachers made an average of $58,950 during the 2017-18 academic year, which is about $2,700 less than they earned in 2010 when adjusted for inflation.
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| Trevor Noah Under Fire For Offensive 2013 Joke About Aboriginal Women Posted: 24 Jul 2018 03:48 AM PDT  Comedian Trevor Noah is under fire for a past joke about indigenous Australian
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| Greece scene of worst wildfires in Europe this century Posted: 24 Jul 2018 12:08 PM PDT  Greece, where wildfires raging near Athens, have claimed at least 74 lives, has previously been the scene of the deadliest fires in Europe this century. Here is a recap of the worst fires, which have also hit Portugal and Russia. Sixty-four people were killed and 250 injured in the deadliest wildfires in Portugal's history in June 2017.
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| Duck boat probe will check if Coast Guard rules were ignored Posted: 23 Jul 2018 01:18 PM PDT  The investigation into the sinking of a sightseeing boat that claimed 17 lives will look at whether operators violated Coast Guard rules by venturing onto a Missouri lake as thunderstorms rolled in, a Coast Guard official said Monday.
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| Hundreds missing in Laos after hydropower dam collapse Posted: 24 Jul 2018 01:47 AM PDT  Hundreds of people are missing and an unknown number believed dead after the collapse of a hydropower dam under construction in southeast Laos, state media reported Tuesday. Several dams are being built or are planned in Laos, an impoverished and landlocked communist country that exports most of its hydropower energy to neighbouring countries like Thailand. Laos News Agency said the accident happened at a hydropower dam in southeastern Attapeu province's Sanamxay district late Monday, releasing five billion cubic metres of water - more than two million Olympic swimming pools. The report added that the there were "several human lives claimed, and several hundreds of people missing." Several houses in the southern part of the district were also swept away, the report said, and officials in the province put out a call for relief aid for flood victims. Evacuation: children are carried from inundated villages Credit: Attapeu Today The $1.2 billion dam is part of a project by Vientiane-based Xe Pian Xe Namnoy Power Company, or PNPC, a joint venture formed in 2012. Stranded: survivors forced on to rooftops Credit: Attapeu Today Among the companies involved in the project according to the Laos News Agency are Thailand's Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, South Korea's Korea Western Power and the state-run Lao Holding State Enterprise. The 410 megawatt capacity dam was supposed to start commercial operations by 2019, according to the venture's website. Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam collapse, Laos The project planned to export 90 per cent of its electricity to energy hungry Thailand and the remaining amount was to be offered up on the local grid.
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| Trump 'Looking Into' Revoking Security Clearances Of Former Officials Critical Of Him Posted: 23 Jul 2018 12:10 PM PDT  President Donald Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of
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| Have You Seen Mollie Tibbetts? College Student Last Seen on Run in Rural Iowa Posted: 23 Jul 2018 07:43 AM PDT  Mollie Tibbetts, 20, was last heard from before she went for an evening run while dog-sitting with her boyfriend at a Brooklyn, Iowa, home at about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
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| Girlfriend Of 'Stand Your Ground' Shooting Victim Says Gunman 'Was Picking A Fight' Posted: 23 Jul 2018 07:24 AM PDT  The girlfriend of a Florida man who was shot dead during an altercation over a
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| Riders Say Uber Drivers Are Using Vomit To Scam Them Posted: 24 Jul 2018 03:54 PM PDT  Some Uber riders in Florida are accusing their drivers of engaging in some
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| Russian foreign minister visiting Israel Monday for Syria talks Posted: 23 Jul 2018 02:51 AM PDT  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Moscow's military chief of staff will arrive in Israel later Monday for talks on the conflict in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin requested the meeting with Lavrov and General Valery Gerasimov "in a conversation with me a few days ago". The two leaders have held a number of discussions in recent months on the Syrian conflict and Iran's military presence there, which Israel opposes.
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| Judge postpones Paul Manafort trial until next week Posted: 23 Jul 2018 03:03 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday postponed the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort until next week.
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| Chinese premier calls for severe punishment amid growing anger over vaccine scandal Posted: 22 Jul 2018 06:02 PM PDT  Li Keqiang, the Chinese Premier, has called for an immediate investigation into a scandal over faulty vaccines that he said had crossed a moral line, and urged severe punishment for the companies and people implicated. The scandal erupted a week ago, after major vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co was found to have violated standards in making rabies vaccine for humans. There did not appear to be reports, however, of people harmed by the vaccine or having contracted rabies after receiving it. The case has sparked anger on social media and dealt a blow to China's drug regulator, which has been struggling to clean up the world's second-biggest drug industry and promote domestically made vaccines. In a statement posted on the government's website late on Sunday, Li said the public deserved a clear explanation. "We will resolutely crack down on illegal and criminal acts that endanger the safety of peoples' lives, resolutely punish lawbreakers according to the law, and resolutely and severely criticise dereliction of duty in supervision," he was quoted as saying. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reads a letter from Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during his meeting with Malaysia's new government advisor Daim Zainuddin Credit: AP The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement on Sunday evening that its investigation had found that Changsheng fabricates production records and product inspection records, and arbitrarily changes process parameters and equipment, "serious violations" of the law. In a stock exchange statement on Sunday, the company said its suspension of rabies vaccine production would have a significant impact on its finances and that some regional disease control agencies had suspended some of its other vaccines. Changsheng's shares fell the maximum limit of 10 percent on Friday, to stand at 14.5 yuan ($2.14). They have lost 40 percent of their value since July 13. An editorial on Monday in the China Daily warned that the case could become a public health crisis if it is not handled "in a reasonable and transparent manner". "The government needs to act as soon as possible to let the public know it is resolved to address the issue and will punish any wrongdoers without mercy," it said. Very rarely, China's state media Xinhua, People's Daily and CCTV have all called for thorough investigation on the case Sunday. Meanwhile, "疫苗" or "vaccines" has become the latest word being censored on social media, together with the original report exposing the scandal. https://t.co/8CksFZKzW8— Henry Yin (@HenryYinCNA) July 22, 2018 "Those who dare to challenge the bottom line and make substandard or even fake vaccines need to receive the heaviest penalties according to the law." Late on Sunday, the state news agency Xinhua ran an editorial calling for strict punishment for any violations, big or small, in the vaccine industry and for regulators to close loopholes and tighten oversight of the industry. The China Securities News also weighed in, saying that listed companies - like Changsheng Biotechnology - have a duty to the public and to conduct business with integrity. "Cases like Changsheng Biotechnology, where laws and regulations are ignored and internal controls exist only in name bring a painful price," it said. State media have said the listed company made a public apology and recalled all their rabies vaccine available on the market.
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| In Another Reversal, President Trump Calls Russian Election Meddling a 'Big Hoax' Posted: 22 Jul 2018 08:22 PM PDT  Trump cast doubt once again, diminishing at least the significance, if not the existence, of the interference and the U.S. investigation into Russia's actions
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| Katharine McPhee Shows Off Massive Engagement Ring From David Foster Posted: 22 Jul 2018 06:46 PM PDT  Newly engaged singer Katharine McPhee posted a photo Sunday of her massive
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| 220-Pound Stone Drops From Western Wall, Narrowly Missing Worshipper Posted: 23 Jul 2018 05:43 PM PDT  An elderly woman narrowly escaped tragedy at Jerusalem's Western Wall on
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| Greece finds 'Neko', a noblewoman buried in her jewelry 1,800 years ago Posted: 23 Jul 2018 06:26 AM PDT  By Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek archaeologists have discovered a virtually intact grave of an ancient noblewoman buried with her golden jewelry at a Roman burial monument in the island of Sikinos. "We are now trying to find out more about her," he said.
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| 463 Migrant Parents May Have Been Deported Without Their Kids, Court Filings Show Posted: 23 Jul 2018 10:17 PM PDT  The Trump administration said Monday that 463 parents separated from their
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| Greece wildfires a 'Biblical disaster': At least 74 killed near Athens as tourists forced to flee into sea Posted: 24 Jul 2018 02:52 PM PDT  Raging wildfires have killed at least 74 people and injured scores more as flames swept through a small resort town near Athens. Emergency crews found one group of 26 victims, including families with children clasped in a last embrace as they tried to flee the flames. They were huddled together in a field just 30 metres from the sea near Mati in the region of Rafina, eastern Greece. Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece's Red Cross, told Skai TV: "They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced." Interior Minister Panos Skourletis described the wildfires as a "Biblical disaster", according to The Times, and said rescue workers were "still searching to see if there are more missing", while mayor of Rafina Evangelos Bournous told the channel: "The number of dead is rising." Ferocious fires came all the way into the towns, meaning the only safe direction for people to flee was towards the sea where hundreds of people had to be rescued in local fishing boats. Greece wildfires gallery puff Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said early on Tuesday that Greece had requested US drones "to observe and detect any suspicious activity" after "15 fires had started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens". "I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, with officials raising the possibility they could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes. Is it safe to travel to Greece? The fire was by far Greece's worst since flames devastated the southern Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens. It broke out in Mati late Monday afternoon and was still burning in some areas on Tuesday morning. Greece wildfires | Travel advice Cecily, 44, from Paris, on holiday with her 15-year-old daughter told The Telegraph: "We were staying in a holiday villa in Mati. We saw the fires outside the house and jumped in our hire car and drove towards the beach. "There were about 500 people crammed onto the beach. There were no warnings and no help from authorities. The local Greek people came to rescue us in their fishing boats. "We got in one then were picked up by a military boat which took us to Rafina. All the hotels were full so we slept in the hallway. We booked a flight back to Paris today. We have had no help from anywhere." Another French tourist Paulina Corvisier, 25, from Lyon, on holiday with her husband and mother-in-law, said: "We ran to the beach. We were all crowded onto the sand and rocks. Then the trees surrounding the beach burst into flames. "I jumped in the water because I didn't know what else to do. Ash was falling on me from the sky while I was in the water." Coastguard vessels were combing beaches to find any remaining survivors, with military hospitals on full alert, a government spokesman said. Dozens of people flee to the beach in Matiq Credit: Blitz Pictures Mati is in the eastern Rafina region, a popular spot for Greek holiday-makers, particularly pensioners and children at camps, 29 km (18 miles) east of the capital. Haris Malimagolou from the Red Cross, talking of the harrowing discovery of the 26 victims found together, said: "Some members of our team found 26 bodies in a field next to the sea, we are assuming they were trapped by the fire because it was so strong and so fast. Some were huddled together as if trying to protect each other. "They were badly burned and have not been identified yet. Their bodies have been transferred to Athens." He explained that the fire was so devastating because a separate fire at Corinth - some 68 miles from Mati - started earlier at 11am, so all the fire service resources were sent there. This region is also very densely populated with a lot of summer houses, old people and children. Mr Malimagolou told The Telegraph the Red Cross have treated about 100 people for both minor and serious injuries One of the youngest fatalities at this stage is thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation, officials said. Of the 156 people injured, 11 were in intensive care, they added. Greece wildfires gallery puff The coastguard said four bodies were retrieved from the sea. In total, coastguard and other vessels rescued 696 people who had fled to beaches. Boats plucked another 19 people alive from the water. Greece's fire brigade said the intensity and spread of the wildfire at Mati had slowed on Tuesday as winds died down, but it was still not fully under control. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday afternoon declared a three-day period of national mourning, and said after cutting short a visit to Bosnia: "We are dealing with something completely asymmetric. It's a difficult night for Greece." A woman walks in front of burnt cars at the village of Mati during a wildfire near Athens Credit: AFP Tourist resorts hit Greek authorities were rushing to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches in coastal areas early on Tuesday. Dozens of people scrambled into the ocean as the blaze raged close to the shore, and they were picked up by passing boats. Nine coastal patrol boats, two military vessels and "dozens of private boats" assisted by army helicopters were mobilised to help those stuck in Rafina harbour. Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP There were several reports of missing persons, including four tourists from Denmark who were said to have fled on a boat that was missing on Tuesday morning. Evangelos Bournous, mayor of the port town of Rafina, said: "We were unlucky. The wind changed and it came at us with such force that it razed the coastal area in minutes." The dock area became a makeshift hospital as paramedics checked survivors when they came off coast guard vessels and private boats. The operation continued through the night. Wildfire in Mati, Greece At daybreak on Tuesday, Ambulance Service deputy director Miltiadis Mylonas said the number of casualties was likely to rise as the more gutted homes and cars were checked. "It took people by surprise and the events happened very fast. Also, the fires broke out on many fronts, so all these factors made the situation extremely difficult," he said. "The task we face now is organizing the identification of victims by members of their families." State of emergency Greece issued an urgent appeal for help to tackle the fires, saying it needed air and land assets from its European Union partners. Cyprus offered to send fire engines and personnel. The first major fire broke out in a pine forest near the seaside settlement of Kineta, 30 miles west of Athens between the capital and Corinth. At least 220 firefighters were on the scene there while five water-dropping planes and seven helicopters helped to fight the blaze from the air. Reinforcements were sent in from across Greece. Residents of coastal areas of Mati and Kokkino Limanaki in Rafina, East Attica, Greece resort to the sea to escape fledging fires today July 23, 2018. #πυρκαγιά#Athens#forestfirespic.twitter.com/2SvFPN0BWB— Theodore Theodorides (@TheoTheodorides) July 23, 2018 Senior fire chief Achilleas Tzouvaras went on state TV to appeal to people to leave the area after some tried to stay on their properties. "People should leave, close up their homes and just leave. People cannot tolerate so much smoke for so many hours," he said. "This is an extreme situation." A man holds his son as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP The second major blaze broke out Monday afternoon in the Penteli and Rafina areas northeast of Athens. Children's summer camps and a seaside resort for military officers were evacuated, as well as residences in the area. Dozens of homes and cars were reportedly destroyed. Victims flee coast There was no official figure on how many people were evacuated overall. The fire burned into the town of Rafina, turning the sky above the nearby port that serves ferries to the Cycladic islands black from the smoke. Witnesses reported seeing a hillside of homes gutted by flames east of Athens. A mayor said he saw at least 100 homes and 200 vehicles burning. An official from the Red Cross said on Tuesday morning that 26 bodies had been discovered in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati. The bodies were entwined and severely burnt, a photographer at the scene said. They appeared to have been caught by the flames trying to reach the sea. A house burns in the town of Mati, east of Athens Credit: AP Greek authorities urged residents to abandon their homes as a wildfire burned ferociously, closing one of Greece's busiest motorways, halting train links and sending plumes of smoke over the capital. Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece, but a relatively dry winter created tinder box conditions. It was not clear what ignited the fires. A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens Credit: AFP The main Athens-Corinth motorway, one of two road routes to the Peloponese peninsula, was shut and train services were cancelled. Fire raged around the Saronicos Gulf, ravaging tracts of pine forest, and was visible for miles. An ominous cloud of black-orange smoke hung over the Acropolis hill and the Parthenon temple in Athens on Monday afternoon. Cars are blocked at the closed National Road during a wildfire in Kineta Credit: AFP Several other fires broke out across the country, including in northeastern Greece and the southern island of Crete, stretching Greece's firefighting capabilities. Gale force winds that frequently changed direction and continued into the night were hampering firefighting efforts. Disaster could top Europe's most deadly wildfires The wildfires raging near Athens are among the deadliest in Europe, with Portugal and Russia also suffering heavy losses. Here is a recap of the worst. Portugal in 2017 (64) Sixty-four people were killed and 250 injured in the deadliest wildfires in Portugal's history in June 2017. The fires burned for five days in the central Leiria region, breaking out at the height of a summer heatwave. Many of the victims died trapped in their cars by the flames while trying to escape. Violent winds fanned the fires, ravaging some 460 square kilometres (around 180 square miles) of hillsides covered with pine and eucalyptus. Fire over Vieira de Leiria, Portugal, in 2017 Credit: NPA In 2003 gigantic fires caused by a heatwave left 20 dead between July and September in central and southern Portugal. The summer of 2003 remains the most disastrous in terms of surface destroyed, with nearly 4,250 square kilometres going up in smoke. In 1966 a blaze in the forest of Sintra, west of Lisbon, killed 25 soldiers trying to battle the flames. Russia in 2015 (34) In April 2015 huge fires that started in the Khakassia region of southeastern Siberia killed 34 people as well as hundreds of cattle and thousands of sheep. The blaze, which spread as far as Mongolia and practically up to the Chinese border, also destroyed 2,000 homes and 10,000 square kilometres of land. Five years earlier, vast swathes of western Russia were ravaged by fires for weeks during an unprecedented heatwave and drought. Russian wildfires in 2010 Credit: Artyom Kototayev/AFP The blazes between July and August 2010 tore through 10,000 square kilometres of forest, bogs and brushwood, burning entire villages. Some of the fires came dangerously close to Russia's top nuclear research centre in Sarov. Greece in 2007 (77) Forest fires killed 77 people at the end of August 2007 in Greece, ravaging 2,500 square kilometres in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Evia, northeast of Athens. A Greek firefighter battles the fire at the village of Styra on the island of Evia, Greece, in August 2007 Credit: Margarita Kiaou/EPA The fires raged for around 12 days, but most of the victims were killed early on in the disaster when they became trapped in villages cut off by the flames, some ignoring orders to evacuate. France in 1949 (82) In the heaviest loss of life in wildfires in France, 82 people were killed battling flames in the southwest Landes region in August 1949. The victims - firemen, volunteers and soldiers - were caught in a ball of fire after the winds suddenly changed direction.
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| NY Daily News slashes half its newsroom staff Posted: 23 Jul 2018 04:56 PM PDT  The New York Daily News, the century-old tabloid known for its provocative headlines, made its own news Monday by slashing half its editorial staff, in the latest retrenchment in the newspaper sector. A source familiar with the matter told AFP the cuts represent "nearly 50 percent" of newsroom staff. Tronc declined to comment on the cutbacks or confirm precisely how many staff were affected, but the rival New York Post said the Daily News had some 85 editorial staff before the layoffs.
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| This Uber Driver Got Suspended for Livestreaming Riders Without Permission Posted: 23 Jul 2018 06:17 AM PDT  But he won't face any legal repercussions
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| Waiter who got customer barred for ‘we don’t tip terrorist’ message ‘fabricated the entire story’ Posted: 24 Jul 2018 04:18 AM PDT  The Texas restaurant company which banned a customer after an employee's story of a receipt scrawled with a racial epithet went viral said that it had parted ways with the employee and learned that the story was made up. "We have learned that our employee fabricated the entire story," Terry Turney, the chief operating officer of Saltgrass steakhouses, said in a statement. The incident unfolded earlier this month when Khalil Cavil, a 20-year-old waiter at a Saltgrass outpost in Odessa, Texas, posted an image to Facebook that showed a $108 bill with zero on the tip line, and "We don't tip terrorist," written in ink at the top.
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| Alibaba's Ele.me goes on 3 billion yuan summer spending spree to fight competition Posted: 23 Jul 2018 09:04 PM PDT  China's Ele.me, the online food delivery company acquired by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, will spend one billion yuan ($147.31 million) each month this summer on subsidies and marketing as competition in the sector reaches fever pitch. Ele.me will spend a total of 3 billion yuan over three months from July to September in an effort to lift its market share to more than 50 percent, Chief Executive Lei Wang told Reuters on Monday. Alibaba bought the remaining stake of Ele.me it did not already own in April in a deal that valued the startup at $9.5 billion yuan.
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| Homeland Security Advisory Council Members Resign Over 'Repugnant' Family Separations Posted: 24 Jul 2018 09:43 AM PDT  Multiple members have resigned their positions on the Homeland Security
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| Deadly Japan Heat Wave Continues as Temperatures Reach Highest Ever Posted: 22 Jul 2018 09:12 PM PDT  Record temperatures are expected to persist until later this week
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| Family of woman killed by Minneapolis officer sues for $50M Posted: 23 Jul 2018 07:50 PM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The family of an Australian woman who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year after she called 911 to report a possible assault filed a lawsuit Monday alleging the officer conspired with his partner to hide what really happened.
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| Israel fires at Syrian missiles on Golan Heights: army Posted: 23 Jul 2018 03:24 AM PDT  Israel on Monday said its air defences fired at rockets that approached its territory from neighbouring Syria, where regime troops are advancing on opposition forces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. "Syrian rockets were identified as having been launched as part of the internal fighting in Syria," an Israeli army statement said in English. The statement said two of Israel's newly deployed David's Sling interceptors were launched "in response to the threat to Israeli territory," but added the Syrian rockets fell inside Syria.
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| Of Course Donald Trump's All-Caps Iran Tweet Has Become A Mocking Meme Posted: 24 Jul 2018 12:18 AM PDT  Some Twitter users opted to see the funny side after President Donald Trump
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| Ford Launches New Autonomous Vehicles LLC Business Posted: 24 Jul 2018 02:52 PM PDT  Ford has committed $4 billion to developing self-driving technology and jump-starting a business that revolves around automated vehicles. Starting about the time it made a billion-dollar investment in Argo AI during the spring of 2017, the company made internal plans to spend an additional $3 billion through 2023 to get a business revolving around automated vehicles off the ground. Ford executives revealed the cumulative financial figure Tuesday as the company's self-driving-vehicle efforts reached a new milestone: The company has spun several of the businesses into their own subsidiary called Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC.
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| Australia honors bravery of divers involved in Thai cave rescue Posted: 23 Jul 2018 11:58 PM PDT  By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia gave state honors on Tuesday to nine people who helped rescue most of a Thai boys' soccer team trapped in a flooded cave, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying their teamwork had set an example for world leaders. The last of the group was brought to safety from the Tham Luang cave in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai on July 10. Turnbull hastened the usual honors approval process and held a ceremony to recognize the Australians involved in a drama that gripped the world for weeks, which he called an extraordinary international effort.
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| Massachusetts Passes NASTY Women Act To Repeal Archaic Abortion Ban Posted: 24 Jul 2018 02:26 AM PDT  Massachusetts moved to pre-emptively protect the right to abortion in the
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| 10 Wrap Dresses To Scoop Up During Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale Posted: 23 Jul 2018 02:19 PM PDT  There are plenty of items to shop at this year's Nordstrom Anniversary Sale,
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| New York Daily News announces 50% cut to newsroom staff Posted: 23 Jul 2018 09:27 AM PDT  Copies of the New York Daily News are for sale at a newsstand in New York City on Monday. The New York Daily News announced a 50% cut to its editorial staff early on Monday, marking a tremendous blow to one of the most popular papers in New York City and in the US as a whole. The move is poised to shrink the editorial team, which once numbered more than 250 according to former staffers, down to about 40 full-time employees.
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| Russia offers to keep Iran forces in Syria far from Golan: Israel Posted: 24 Jul 2018 03:15 AM PDT  Russia has offered to keep Iranian forces in Syria away from the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights but Israel wants Tehran to completely withdraw, an Israeli official said Tuesday. Moscow made the offer -- which would see Iranian forces stay 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Syria's border with the Golan -- during talks Monday in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the official said.
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| Mecum Auctions to sell Ferris Bueller's Ferrari 250 GT Replica Posted: 23 Jul 2018 01:03 PM PDT  One of two Ferrari 250 GT California replicas made for filming 1986 film classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off is up for sale with Mecum Auctions on August 25
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| Scientists won't need to dig far to find signs of life on Jupiter's moon Europa Posted: 23 Jul 2018 07:48 PM PDT  Europa, a small moon orbiting Jupiter, has long attracted fascination because of its potential to host alien life. Hidden below the moon's frozen surface is thought to be an ocean, which could hold signs of life. It turns out scientists won't have to dig too far to find this potential evidence in a future mission, according to a study published in Nature. SEE ALSO: Shields up! How spaceships can save themselves without science fiction Led by NASA scientist Tom Nordheim, the study assessed how harsh the radiation is on Europa's surface. The intense radiation, which comes from Jupiter, destroys or modifies material on the moon's surface, making it hard for researchers to ascertain if it's reflective of what can be found in the ocean below. Nordheim and his team discovered that the radiation on the surface was at its most intense around the moon's equator, tapering out towards the poles. Below the surface, the radiation penetrates 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) in the most intense areas, but goes down to less than 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) at the mildest areas. In order to understand how radiation could impact evidence of life on Europa, the study looked at the destruction of amino acids on the moon, which proteins are made of. "This is the first prediction of radiation levels at each point on Europa's surface and is important information for future Europa missions," Chris Paranicas, the study's co-author, said in a blog post on NASA's website. It's important information for future Europa missions, whether in orbit or landing on the moon's surface. "The radiation that bombards Europa's surface leaves a fingerprint," Kevin Hand, a co-author of the study, added. "If we know what that fingerprint looks like, we can better understand the nature of any organics and possible biosignatures that might be detected with future missions, be they spacecraft that fly by or land on Europa." WATCH: There's an underwater pokéball that helps us study delicate sea creatures without harming them
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| Chilean prosecutors probing 36 claims of Catholic Church sex abuse Posted: 23 Jul 2018 02:19 PM PDT  The Chilean civil authorities are investigating 36 accusations of sexual abuse against bishops, clerics and lay workers in the Roman Catholic Church, the national prosecutor's office said on Monday. The investigations are among 144 reports of sexual abuse implicating 158 Church workers made since 2000, it added in a statement. The figures were released at a news conference in the capital Santiago by Luis Torres, the head of human rights and gender crime divisions for the Chilean national prosecutor's office.
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| Women's Alzheimer's test needed as superior verbal skills mask onset of the disease Posted: 23 Jul 2018 08:39 AM PDT  An Alzheimer's test specifically for women should be developed after a new study found superior female verbal skills disguise the onset of the disease, scientists have said. Research in the US revealed doctors are less likely to diagnose Alzheimer's in women than in men. The imbalance means that female patients appear to deteriorate more quickly following diagnosis, when in fact they have already been suffering for some time. Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's, making up 65 per cent of patients in the UK. Researchers at the University of Illinois, Chicago said their study shows sex-specific tests should be developed. Currently verbal and memory tests are an important tool for diagnosing Alzheimer's. These can involve asking the patients to remember the name of a common object and repeat it a few minutes later, as well as asking them to draw the numbers on the face of a clock and a specified time. However, women in general typically score better in verbal tests, and the new research indicates they hang on to this ability even while dementia is taking hold. 65% of Alzheimer's patients are women Credit: Andrew Brookes/Getty Presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, the trial of around 1,300 patients of both sexes showed that women scored better than men while blood tests showed the disease was at a moderate and low stage, but lost their advantage once it became more severe. Diagnosing Alzheimer's early can give patients the chance to undergo treatments capable of slowing down progression or even temporarily improving symptoms. Dr Pauline Maki, who led the research said: "These findings may help to explain why women show a more rapid decline across a wide range of cognitive abilities after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. "While female advantage may be functionally beneficial, it could mask early stages of Alzheimer's, resulting in a more severe burden of disease at the time of diagnosis, with more rapid derioration thereafter." At the same conference evidence was also presented suggesting that multiple childbirth can help protect women from Alzheimer's in later life. Analysis of nearly 15,000 women found those who had given birth to three or more children had a 12 per cent lower risk of dementia compared to women with one child. What are the early signs of dementia? Dr Tim Shakespeare, Research Information Manager at Alzheimer's Society, aid: "Women are disproportionately affected by dementia globally and women tend to have a better memory for things like lists and short stories – known as verbal memory - throughout their lives. "This study suggests that this stronger recall in women may mask early symptoms of dementia. Taking this into consideration could help identify dementia early on, so women don't slip through the dementia diagnosis net. "Research suggests that when we have new treatments, they will be more effective in the early stages. "A timely diagnosis also allows the person access to vital care and support. Which is why we have long campaigned for everyone to have equal access to a diagnosis, regardless of their gender race, age or postcode, and we will continue to build on our work with the Government to make sure this happens."
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