| After prison release, Palestinian teen considers law study Posted: 29 Jul 2018 12:46 PM PDT  NABI SALEH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi, who became an international symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation after slapping two soldiers, walked out of an Israeli prison Sunday and told throngs of journalists and well-wishers that she now wants to study law to defend her people.
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| Family of Branson Duck Boat Victims Seeks $100 Million for Deadly Sinking Posted: 30 Jul 2018 10:41 AM PDT  The suit alleges "decades of unacceptable, greed-driven, and willful ignorance"
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| Polar bear shot dead after attacking cruise ship tour guide as climate change pushes predators closer to human habitats Posted: 29 Jul 2018 03:10 AM PDT  Norwegian authorities said a polar bear on Saturday attacked and injured a polar bear guard who was leading tourists off a cruise ship on an Arctic archipelago. The polar bear was shot dead by another employee, the cruise company said. The Joint Rescue Coordination for Northern Norway tweeted that the attack occurred when the tourists from the MS Bremen cruise ship landed on the most northern island of the Svalbard archipelago, a region between mainland Norway and the North Pole that is known for its remote terrain, glaciers, reindeer and polar bears. The German Hapag Lloyd Cruises company, which operates the MS Bremen, told The Associated Press that two polar bear guards from their ship went on the island and one of them "was attacked by a polar bear and injured on his head." The polar bear was then shot dead "in an act of self-defense" by the second guard, spokeswoman Negar Etminan said. The injured man was taken by helicopter to the town of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen island. He was not identified and no further information was given on him. Polar bear guards travel with most cruises in the Arctic Credit: Peter Bischoff "He was flown out, was responsive, and is currently undergoing medical treatment," Etminan said, adding that the victim was not in a life-threatening condition. She said all cruise ships traveling in the northern region are obliged to have polar bear guards aboard. Svalbard - locator map Arctic tourism to the region has risen sharply in the last few years and is now in high season. A Longyearbyen port schedule showed that 18 cruise ships will be docking at the Arctic port in the next week.
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| 36 women, children kidnapped by IS last week in Syria's Sweida: monitor Posted: 30 Jul 2018 03:03 AM PDT  The Islamic State group kidnapped dozens of Druze women and children when it attacked their villages last week in Syria's southern province of Sweida, a monitor said Monday. More than 250 people were killed on Wednesday when IS carried out a string of suicide attacks and shootings in the provincial capital Sweida and villages to the north and east. "At least 36 Druze women and children were abducted after the attacks," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
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| Rand Paul Says He'll Support Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination To Supreme Court Posted: 30 Jul 2018 08:49 AM PDT  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced on Monday he will support the nomination of
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| Greek seaside town remembers lives lost to wildfire Posted: 29 Jul 2018 11:13 AM PDT  Mourners gathered in a church in the Greek coastal town of Mati on Sunday where they wept and lit candles in memory of those killed when a massive wildfire swept through the popular resort near Athens earlier this week. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is facing fierce recriminations for the government's response to the fire and has promised a national plan to avoid a repeat of the disaster. Rescue crews are still looking for survivors of the blaze which began last Monday in Mati, 30 km (17 miles) east of Athens, as the death toll rose to at least 91 with dozens more injured.
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| The Latest: Minneapolis cops: Feared for lives in shooting Posted: 30 Jul 2018 01:01 PM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the release of body-camera video in the June fatal shooting of a black man by Minneapolis police (all times local):
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| California wildfire: Firefighters gain ground on devastating inferno as victims' families reel from loss Posted: 30 Jul 2018 11:57 AM PDT  Firefighters in northern California have finally begun gaining ground on the massive wildfire that has claimed at least six lives after doubling over the weekend – fuelled by hot, dry conditions and swift winds that pushed the flames. The family of a 70-year-old woman and two children killed by the massive fires, for instance, described the final moments of their loved ones, with the woman trying in vain to save her two great-grandchildren using a wet blanket at their house outside of Redding. The victims were identified by relatives as James Roberts, five, his sister Emily, four, and their great grandmother, Melody Bledsoe, 70.
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| 14 killed in Vietnam wedding party car crash Posted: 29 Jul 2018 10:27 PM PDT  Fourteen members of the same family were killed in a car crash in central Vietnam Monday en route to a wedding party, including the groom who died instantly when their van hit a container truck, police said. Road accidents are the leading cause of death in Vietnam, where traffic laws are loosely obeyed and road infrastructure is patchy. The victims of Monday's car crash in Quang Nam were members of an extended family, including the groom, who were heading to the bride's family home in a neighbouring province, a police officer told AFP.
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| The Ugliest Concept Cars Ever Made Posted: 30 Jul 2018 08:00 AM PDT |
| Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe Rejects Ruling Party Ahead of Historic Elections Posted: 29 Jul 2018 07:23 PM PDT  The former leader turned his back on the ruling party he long controlled
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| Lawsuit filed in fatal duck boat sinking seeks $100 million Posted: 30 Jul 2018 04:06 PM PDT  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The owners and operators of a tourist boat that sank this month in Missouri, killing 17 people, put profits over people's safety when they decided to put the Ride the Ducks boat on a lake despite design problems and warnings of severe weather, a lawsuit alleges.
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| CBS Board Takes No Immediate Action Against Les Moonves Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations Posted: 30 Jul 2018 01:27 PM PDT  During a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, CBS's board of directors did
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| Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says She Will Serve 'At Least Another 5 Years' on the Supreme Court Posted: 30 Jul 2018 05:16 AM PDT  The justice also called herself a "flaming feminist"
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| Brothers Fend Off, Kill Alleged Burglar With Baseball Bat Posted: 30 Jul 2018 07:30 AM PDT  An alleged burglar died Monday after being stabbed and hit with a baseball bat by two brothers defending their Queens home, according to police sources.
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| 'My kids are deceased': U.S. wildfire kills two children, four others Posted: 29 Jul 2018 03:42 PM PDT  By Alexandria Sage REDDING, Calif. (Reuters) - A 70-year-old woman and her two great-grandchildren were among six killed when a wildfire raged through an area of northern California and engulfed entire communities, officials and family members said. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko told a news conference in the city of Redding at the edge of the blaze on Sunday that one more person had died in a residence consumed by fire, bringing the total to six, including two firefighters. The Carr Fire, which has destroyed more than 500 buildings, is the deadliest and most destructive of nearly 90 wildfires burning from Texas to Oregon.
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| How to prepare for wildfires so you can escape safely if a blaze approaches Posted: 29 Jul 2018 06:33 AM PDT  Wildfires can ignite and spread suddenly, as high winds can fan flames, so being prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice could be the key to survival.
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| Somalia, Eritrea mend ties as change sweeps Horn of Africa Posted: 30 Jul 2018 06:41 AM PDT  The presidents of Somalia and Eritrea on Monday agreed to establish diplomatic ties after more than a decade of animosity, in the latest lightning rapprochement between Horn of Africa rivals. Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's three-day visit to Asmara coincides with an extraordinary peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia -- part of dizzying change in a region burdened by war, proxy conflicts, isolation and iron-fisted rule. "The two countries will establish diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors," read a "joint declaration on brotherly relations" signed in Asmara by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Mohamed, who left for Mogadishu shortly thereafter.
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| Film of woman 'punched' for confronting wolf-whistler shocks France as fines set to be introduced Posted: 30 Jul 2018 05:13 AM PDT  A film of a man hitting a woman in the face in central Paris after she told him to "shut up" for harassing her in the street has shocked France and prompted an investigation. Social media posts of Marie Laguerre on her ordeal have prompted outrage and a pledge by France's gender equality minister to start imposing on-the-spot fines for street harassment this autumn. The 22-year old student was walking home in Paris' 19th arrondissement last week when she was accosted by a young man at the terrace of a bar in broad daylight. Marlène Schiappa, France's gender equality minister, called the assault an attack on the "freedom of women" as she backed plans to introduce on the spot fines for harassment including wolf-whistling. Describing her deal on social media, Ms Laguerre wrote in English: "I walked past a man who sexually/verbally harassed me." "He wasn't the first one and I can't accept being humiliated like that, so I replied 'shut up'," she wrote. "He then threw an ashtray at me, before rushing back to punch me, in the middle of the street, in front of dozens of people." She later told Le Parisien that he had insulted her repeatedly, wagged his tongue and made sexually suggestive "groans". The attacker was immediately confronted by witnesses at the bar Credit: Telegraph The bar's CCTV caught the incident on camera. It shows a woman in red walking past the bar before being pursued by a man in black who violently hits her face and walks off. Several bystanders at the terrace then immediately stand up and try and intervene, preventing the man from approaching Ms Laguerre. He then walks off, and she too walks out of view. Describing his behaviour as "unacceptable", Ms Laguerre wrote: "It happens everyday, everywhere and I don't know a single woman who doesn't have a similar story. I am sick of feeling unsafe waking in the street. Things need to change, and they need to change now." She ended the outburst with the hashtag Metoo, launched in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal in Hollywood last year. The Youtube film of the attack has been viewed 8000,000 times and her comments on Facebook and Twitter have prompted hundreds of messages of support. Parce que j'ai répondu à son harcèlement, un homme m'a frappée en pleine rue, en pleine journée, devant des dizaines de témoins. Inadmissible. Stop au harcèlement de rue. #noustoutes#metoo#balancetonporc#harcelementderue@MarleneSchiappahttps://t.co/lV9AIKndlX— Marie Laguerre (@may_lgr) 28 July 2018 Speaking to Le Parisien, she said she was suffering from a "damaged cheek bone and eyebrow". "I knew he was coming to hit me, it was clear from his gestures, it was clear from the exchange of words and his intentions," she said in a filmed interview. She added: "He rushed towards me. I looked at him straight in the eyes. And I took the blow with the utmost pride just to show him that if he thought he could put me back in my place, it hadn't worked." She filed a legal complaint against persons unknown and on Monday the Paris prosecutor launched an investigation into "sexual harassment and violence with a weapon (an ashtray)". Marlene Schiappa, France's minister for gender equality, insists that on-the-spot fines for wolf-whistlers will "lower the tolerance level" of street harassment Credit: Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg She said she was amazed at the scale of online reaction and felt "lucky" that her ordeal had been caught on film as it sent a powerful message about a pervasive problem. "I don't know a single female friend who hasn't been harassed or sexually assaulted. It's got to stop," she said. Ms Laguerre praised bystanders for intervening and bar management for handing over the film of the incident. They did not try and apprehend the man but prevented him from approaching her a second time before he marched off. Asked for a reaction, Marlène Schiappa, France's gender equality minister, said: "The stakes are serious: they are about the freedom of women to move move about freely in public." She said that while the law "already sanctions this type of attack", a new bill due to be passed this week slapping fines of up to €750 (£670) on anyone caught wolf-whistling or harassing a woman, or man, in the street would help stamp out a sense of impunity. "The real novelty is that the law will be able to act earlier to avoid an escalation of violence," she told Le Parisien. On-the-spot fines of €90, or higher, if the person is a repeat offender, will start being enforced this autumn, she promised. With these, she insisted "we are lowering the tolerance level. We are saying there is no fatalism". Some, however, have questioned how police will manage to enforce the law in practice. Fines depend on the person having committed a blatantly "sexist act", defined as "any act linked to the sex of a person with the aim of violating their dignity or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment". Last week, French senators amended the bill on sexual violence and street harassment to add a ban on upskirting, inspired by Britain's proposed law against taking photos under womens' skirts or dresses without their permission, and similar legislation in Canada and Belgium. They chose to make "filming improper images" a criminal offence punishable by a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of nearly £27,000.
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| Here Are the Coolest Cars Bonhams Is Auctioning Off at Monterey This Year Posted: 30 Jul 2018 12:00 PM PDT |
| Anger as MH370 report offers no new clues to aviation's greatest mystery Posted: 30 Jul 2018 02:41 AM PDT  Investigators said Monday they still do not know why Malaysia's Flight MH370 vanished four years ago in aviation's greatest mystery, sparking anger and disappointment among relatives of those on board. In a long-awaited report the official investigation team pointed to failings by air traffic controllers, said the course of the Malaysia Airlines plane was changed manually, and refused to rule out that someone other than the pilots had diverted the jet. "The team is unable to determine the real cause for the disappearance of MH370," concluded the largely technical 400-page report, noting that investigators were hindered in their probe as neither the plane's wreckage nor its black boxes had been found.
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| Rudy Giuliani: Michael Cohen Has Been Warned To Keep His Mouth Shut Posted: 28 Jul 2018 08:02 PM PDT  President Donald Trump's legal team has warned his former fixer, Michael
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| Zimbabweans vote in first election since Mugabe's removal Posted: 29 Jul 2018 04:03 PM PDT  By Joe Brock and MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabweans go to the polls on Monday in the first election since the removal of Robert Mugabe, a watershed vote they hope will rid the country of its global pariah status and spark a recovery in its failed economy. The election will see 75-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, face 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who is vying to become Zimbabwe's youngest head of state. Polls give former intelligence chief Mnangagwa, who took over as president after the army ousted Mugabe in a bloodless coup last November, only a slim lead over Chamisa.
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| Kansas Family Has Accounts Frozen by Bank of America After Being Asked About Citizenship Status Posted: 30 Jul 2018 12:54 PM PDT  Josh Collins, of Roeland Park, received in June a form letter in the mail from Bank of America that asked a series of personal questions, including if he were an American citizen or had dual citizenship with another country.
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| USGS reports 3.7-magnitude earthquake near Vallejo Posted: 30 Jul 2018 05:25 PM PDT  A 3.7-magnitude earthquake was reported near Vallejo that was felt as far north as Windsor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
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| The Northern California Wildfire Is Slowing Down After Claiming a Sixth Fatality Posted: 29 Jul 2018 06:34 PM PDT  The Carr fire has destroyed at least 517 structures and damaged 135
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| MH370 investigators say they can't rule out 'unlawful interference' as final report leaves relatives disappointed Posted: 30 Jul 2018 06:19 AM PDT  Investigators released a report on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Monday, saying the Boeing 777's controls were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course but they were not able to determine who was responsible. The 495-page report draws no conclusion about what happened aboard the plane that vanished with 239 people on board en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, leaving one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries unsolved. "The answer can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found," Kok Soo Chon, head of the MH370 safety investigation team, told reporters. On May 29, Malaysia called off a three-month search by US firm Ocean Infinity, which spanned 112,000 sq km (43,243 sq miles) in the southern Indian Ocean and ended with no significant findings. It was the second major search after Australia, China and Malaysia ended a fruitless A$200 million (£112.06 million) search across an area of 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq miles) last year. Sarah Nor, the mother of Norliakmar Hamid, a passenger on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, cries as she arrives for the final investigation report Credit: MOHD RASFAN/ AFP Malaysian and international investigators have been looking into why the jet veered thousands of miles off course from its scheduled route before eventually plunging into the Indian Ocean. The last communication from the plane was from the Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah who signed off with "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero", as the plane left the Malaysian airspace and later turned off course. A 440-page final report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) last year showed that Zaharie had flown a route on his home flight simulator six weeks earlier that was "initially similar" to the one actually taken by MH370. The Malaysian police previously concluded there were no unusual activity on the home simulator. Kok said the investigators examined the history of the pilot and the first officer, and they were satisfied with their background and training and mental health. "We are not of the opinion it could have been an event committed by the pilots," he said, but added they were not ruling out any possibility since the in-air turn back was done manually and the systems in the plane were also manually turned off. "We cannot exclude that there was an unlawful interference by a third party," Kok said. He added all the passengers of the 15 countries had their backgrounds checked by their respective countries and all came back with a clean bill of health. Conspiracy theories The inability to locate MH370's crash site has fuelled conspiracy theories and online debates over the last four years. Theories range from mechanical error or a remote-controlled crash, to more bizarre explanations like alien abduction and a Russian plot. Kok said they looked into each theory and rumour raised on social media. "We had over 60 allegations...we removed them one-by-one and saw what remained behind," Kok said. Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing plane in 2014 Credit: Rob Griffith/AP The report said there was no sign the plane was evading radar detection or that it was taken over by remote control. No irregularities were found in the on-board cargo, which included items like lithium batteries and about 2,500 kgs of mangosteen. Mistakes made In all, 27 pieces of aircraft debris have been collected from various places around the world but only three wing fragments that washed up along the Indian Ocean coast have been confirmed to be from MH370. Malaysia's newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said Malaysia would consider resuming the search only if new clues come to light. Investigators highlighted some mistakes made by the Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control centres and made safety recommendations to ensure such incidents do not occur again. Transport Minister Antony Loke said in a statement that the Malaysia would investigate any misconduct committed based on the findings. Families of passengers on board the flight said on Monday that the report failed to give closure Credit: Joshua Paul/AP The next-of-kin of the passengers were briefed on the final report by investigators earlier on Monday. "We hope that these mistakes will not be repeated and that measures are put in place to prevent them in the future," said Grace Nathan, a lawyer whose mother, Anne Daisy, was on the plane. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing had paid close attention to the MH370 investigation. "We hope that all sides can continue to remain in close contact and coordination, to properly carry out relevant follow-up work," he told a daily news briefing, without elaborating. The majority of passengers on board were Chinese.
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| The Cost of AirPods Could Be Rising Soon — Here’s Why Posted: 30 Jul 2018 09:21 AM PDT  It's not because of any upgrades.
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| No charges after US police kill man who yelled 'don't shoot' Posted: 30 Jul 2018 11:34 AM PDT  Blevins took the gun out of his pants pocket and turned towards the officers just before they fired 14 shots, according to the Hennepin County prosecutor's office. Blevins then collapsed and blood began to pool beneath his body, as an officer kicked away a handgun that had fallen to the ground. "Mr Blevins represented a danger to the lives of (the officers)," County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a written statement.
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| Trump says ‘many’ border crossers use children for ‘their own sinister purposes’ Posted: 29 Jul 2018 07:15 AM PDT  President Trump said many parents crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are using their children for "their own sinister purposes" and threatened to shut down the government if Congress doesn't support his wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
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| Protesters chant anti-Putin slogans at Moscow rally against retirement age plan Posted: 29 Jul 2018 09:36 AM PDT  By Andrey Ostroukh MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands protested in central Moscow on Sunday against a proposed increase to the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by the bill. The rally organized by the opposition Libertarian Party chanted "Putin is a thief" and "away with the tsar," slogans common at anti-Putin and anti-government protests. The retirement age proposal is politically sensitive for Putin, who was re-elected in March, because it has prompted a series of protests across Russia since it was announced on June 14, the day Russia played the first match of its soccer World Cup.
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| Coming Soon: North Korea's Nukes Could Go Underwater Posted: 29 Jul 2018 04:00 AM PDT  As in ballistic missile submarines.
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| Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Stock Rises on Record Earnings Posted: 30 Jul 2018 07:59 AM PDT ![Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Stock Rises on Record Earnings]( "Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Stock Rises on Record Earnings") Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) stock traded by as much as 2.7 percent higher on Monday morning after the company reported record second-quarter earnings and raised its full-year guidance. Investors cheered the strong quarter, but analysts say there is clear evidence Caterpillar's growth is slowing. Caterpillar reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.97 on revenue of $14.01 billion.
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| Hundreds Trapped, 14 Dead After a Massive Earthquake Struck an Indonesian Tourist Island Posted: 29 Jul 2018 10:50 PM PDT  Rescuers are searching for more than 200 people believed to be stranded on a mountain
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| Twitter's Lock On Users With Elon Musk's Name Means A Nazi Ban Is Possible Posted: 30 Jul 2018 08:56 AM PDT  If you're on Twitter and you change your unverified account's display name to
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| 2019 BMW M2 Competition Posted: 29 Jul 2018 03:01 PM PDT  2019 BMW M2 CS
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| Cambodia ruling party claims landslide election win after opposition banned in 'sham' vote Posted: 29 Jul 2018 10:26 AM PDT  Cambodia's ruling party said it had won a landslide in Sunday's one-horse election, an expected outcome after the main opposition was banned paving the way for leader Hun Sen to prolong his 33 years in power. Hun Sen, who came to power in 1985 in a country still plagued by civil war, has cracked down on dissent in the run-up to this year's poll, pressuring civil society, independent media and political opponents. That left him with little competition and no serious challengers. Cambodian People's Party (CPP) spokesman Sok Eysan told AFP late Sunday they expected to win "over 100 seats" in the 125-seat parliament, citing preliminary figures from the National Election Committee. "The CPP will get more than 80 percent of the popular vote," he said. "This is a huge victory for us." Hun Sen, 65, a one-time defector from the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, has pointed to stability and growth as the fruits of his rule - a message that resonates with his base. Freedom index rank: Cambodia "Compatriots have chosen the democratic path and used your rights," he said on his Facebook page after polls closed in an apparent swipe at the opposition, which called for a boycott. Voter turnout was 82 percent, according to the election committee, surpassing the final figure in 2013 of roughly 69 percent when the opposition took part. Pictures of spoiled ballots circulated on social media, though they could not be independently verified. AFP correspondents saw dozens of blank ballots set aside during counting. "I did not go to vote. I slept at home," said Khem Chan Vannak, a former commune chief elected with the now-banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). "A lot of my friends did not go to vote." The CNRP appealed to Cambodians not to vote in the "sham election that has no support and is not recognised by the international community".
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| China's former internet czar charged with taking bribes Posted: 30 Jul 2018 01:26 AM PDT  China's former internet czar, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his tenure, has been charged with taking bribes, state media said Monday. Throughout his career, Lu Wei used his political offices to benefit himself including "illegally receiving a huge amount of property," according to the official Xinhua news agency, quoting a statement by the office of the country's top prosecutor. It said Lu is alleged to have used his position to benefit himself and unspecified other people during his time working at Xinhua, for the Beijing government, for the party's central propaganda department and as the head of the Cyber Administration of China, among other offices.
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| Accusations fly as firms seek to avoid Trump's steel tariff Posted: 30 Jul 2018 01:22 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies seeking to be exempted from President Donald Trump's tariff on imported steel are accusing American steel manufacturers of spreading inaccurate and misleading information, and they fear it may torpedo their requests.
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| 28 Cornbread Recipes You Won't Be Able To Stop Eating Posted: 30 Jul 2018 02:29 PM PDT |
| CBS board to discuss CEO Moonves investigation Posted: 30 Jul 2018 01:13 PM PDT  CBS Corp's board will discuss the investigation into allegations of personal misconduct against the company's chief executive Leslie Moonves. Fred Katayama reports.
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| HHS Official Ximena Barreto Resigns After Scandal Over Anti-Muslim Comments Posted: 29 Jul 2018 02:37 PM PDT  A Department of Health and Human Services official who shared bigoted memes
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| Palestinian teenager released from prison after slapping Israeli soldiers Posted: 29 Jul 2018 06:56 AM PDT  Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi was released from prison Sunday after serving eight months for slapping two Israeli soldiers, an episode captured on video that made her a symbol of resistance for Palestinians. Tamimi, 17, and her mother Nariman arrived in their village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, where they were met by crowds of supporters and journalists "The resistance continues until the fall of the occupation, and of course the (female) prisoners in jail are all strong," Ahed Tamimi said, her voice barely audible above the crowd. "I thank everyone who supported me in this sentence and supports all the prisoners." Her father Bassem put his arms around Ahed and her mother as they walked together along the road, the crowd chanting "we want to live in freedom". Tamimi later visited the tomb of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and laid flowers there, before meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Ahed Tamimi, 17 Abbas "praised Ahed and described her as a model of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, independence and statehood," according to a statement on official news agency WAFA. "He stressed that non-violent resistance which Ahed embodies has proven to be an ideal and vital weapon in facing the repression of the Israeli occupation." Israeli authorities appeared keen to avoid media coverage of the release as much as possible, and conflicting information had meant supporters and journalists scrambled to arrive on time at the correct location. Tamimi and her mother had been driven early on Sunday from Israel's Sharon prison into the occupied West Bank, authorities said. But the location of the checkpoint where they were to cross into the territory was changed three times before it was finally announced they were being taken to a crossing at Rantis, about an hour's drive from the initial location. Both Tamimi and her mother were sentenced to eight months in an Israeli military court following a plea deal over the December incident, which the family said took place in their garden in Nabi Saleh. They were released some three weeks early, a common practice by Israeli authorities due to overcrowded prisons, Tamimi's lawyer Gaby Lasky said. Tamimi visits the Mausoleum of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, following their release from Israeli Prison in Ramallah Credit: Anadolu Video of the December incident went viral, leading Palestinians to view her as a hero standing up to Israel's occupation. Tamimi was arrested in the early hours of December 19, four days after the incident in the video. She was 16 at the time. Her mother Nariman was also arrested, as was her cousin Nour, who was freed in March. Israel's military said the soldiers had been in the area on the day of the incident to prevent Palestinians from throwing stones at Israeli motorists. The video shows the cousins approaching two soldiers and telling them to leave, before shoving, kicking and slapping them. Ahed Tamimi is the most aggressive of the two in the video. The heavily armed soldiers do not respond in the face of what appears to be an attempt to provoke rather than seriously harm them. Many Israelis also praised the restraint of the soldiers, who remained calm throughout, though others said her actions merited a tougher response. The soldiers then move backwards after Nariman Tamimi becomes involved. The scuffle took place amid clashes and protests against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Relatives say that a member of the Tamimi family was wounded in the head by a rubber bullet fired during those protests.
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| 'Come and get me,' boy pleaded before California fire death Posted: 30 Jul 2018 04:50 PM PDT  A young boy pleaded for rescue before he died along with two others in a California wildfire, an anguished relative recounted Monday, while other shaken survivors told of their flight from a "tornado" of fire. Thousands of firefighters in California made some progress against several large-scale blazes that have turned close to 200,000 acres (80,940 hectares) into an ashen wasteland, destroyed expensive homes, and killed eight fire personnel and civilians in the most populous US state. The worst blaze, northern California's Carr Fire, has killed six people since Thursday, including a 70-year-old woman and her two great-grandchildren aged four and five.
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| On retirement question, Justice Ginsburg has go-to answers Posted: 30 Jul 2018 12:01 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a decade, audiences and interviewers have had one pressing question for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: When will you retire?
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