Corpus Christi

Death toll in suspected Texas human smuggling case rises to nine

By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - At least nine men were found dead on Sunday alongside dozens of people discovered inside a sweltering tractor trailer parked at a Walmart store in San Antonio, Texas, in what authorities called a case of "ruthless" human trafficking. Thirty people, many in critical condition and suffering from heat stoke and exhaustion, were removed from the trailer, which lacked air conditioning or a water supply, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. Temperatures outside the vehicle topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius).

Snooty, the world's oldest manatee, dies in shocking accident

The world's oldest manatee was expected to live even longer before he died in a tragic accident. Museum staff were heartbroken when their pride and joy perished a day after celebrating his 69th birthday. The South Florida Museum chief executive Brynne Anne Besio explained the death of the beloved animal in a statement. He said Snooty’s death appeared to be “a heartbreaking accident” and added that staff were “devastated”. Museum provost and chief operating officer Jeff Rodgers said Snooty died after becoming stuck in a maintenance hatch leading off his tank. Credit: Tamara Lush/AP In a Facebook live broadcast, he said the animal shared his space with three young rescued manatees, Randall, Baca and Gale. “The hatch is big enough for a 1,300lb manatee to get in," he said. “It appears that he was not able to get himself back around to get himself out of the situation.” It is thought the animal drowned, but an necropsy is yet to be completed. He said the three other manatees were not injured. Credit: https://www.facebook.com/SouthFLMuseum  Mr Rogers said: "We’re all devastated about his passing. We’re reviewing what happened and will be conducting a full investigation. "Snooty was such a unique animal and he had so much personality that people couldn’t help but be drawn to him. As you can imagine, I – and our staff, volunteers and board members – considered him a star. We all deeply mourn his passing." Credit: https://www.facebook.com/SouthFLMuseum He said that staff had been greeting people at the door to the aquarium to tell them the heartbreaking news, and that staff had been helping adults break the news to their children. “Snooty’s very important to this community,” Rodgers said. “He’s been with us for 68 years – generations have grown up with that manatee. The emotional outpouring today… we grieve right along with these folks. We’ve given a lot of hugs on the front porch of the museum today. “A lot of people loved that manatee. We loved him too.”

Israel under pressure over holy site, shooting at Amman embassy

Israel faced mounting pressure Monday over tougher security at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site after a shooting at its embassy in Jordan raised further concerns following a weekend of deadly unrest. It was not immediately clear whether the incident in Amman on Sunday -- in which two Jordanian men were killed and an Israeli seriously injured -- was linked to the dispute over the Jerusalem compound. Israel and Jordan are bound by a 1994 peace treaty, but tensions have been high over the new security measures at the site in annexed east Jerusalem.

Woman Shares Touching Photo of Walmart Employee Helping Blind Man Shop

She said the heartwarming moment caught her eye.

The Latest: USS Constitution returns to water after repairs

BOSTON (AP) — The Latest on the USS Constitution's return to Boston Harbor (all times local):

GOP congressman isn't sure how to fix health care fiasco but knows it involves sexism and a duel

With the GOP health care bill on life support in the senate, lawmakers are eager to find someone to blame.  One Texas lawmaker focused his frustrations with “some female senators from the Northeast" and tacked on some beyond out-dated and sexist thoughts in a radio interview. In an interview on "1440 Keys" Friday, Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold spoke about how he wanted to handle the fallout from failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel tweets update on 3-month-old son, calls for action on healthcare "If it was a guy from south Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style,” he said to talk show host Bob Jones.  Listen to his comments below around the 27-minute mark. Sure sounds like he really wants to duel the GOP health care bill's opponents, but only the female ones. He can't, though, because they are women.  I can't see Lisa Murkowski losing a duel with Blake Farenthold tbh, even if her weapon jammed — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) July 24, 2017 He won't duel women because he knows he'd get shot.  https://t.co/RHnSd3tKpR — Stephanie Renee (@Steph56Renee) July 24, 2017 Cool, that's a normal response in 2017 to a political fail. And no reason to include male senators. That'd be silly. He could have challenged Rand Paul to a duel. Didn’t. https://t.co/J1Z2N9xIqK — Sam Stein (@samstein) July 24, 2017 Sens. Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito and Lisa Murkowski came out against Mitch McConnell's bid to straight repeal the ACA, but Sens. Mike Lee and Jerry Moran, both men, effectively sank the proposed replacement bill. So color Farenthold confused about a number of things. Farenthold is blaming the female senators for stalling the bill, but he's not OK with taking this outside. That would not be appropriate or ladylike. If they were men they might be idiots like Rep Farenthold apparently is https://t.co/ekd4KbPNfH — Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) July 24, 2017 Farenthold, for the record, was once photographed wearing ducky pajamas with scantily-clad women. He at one time owned the domain name blow-me.org. And he was sued by a former staffer for alleged gender discrimination and for making an uncomfortable work environment. To recap: Farenthold thinks a man-to-man duel would be the best way to settle health care policy and 2017 gets more ridiculous by the day. WATCH: Bizarre moments from Sean Spicer's short stint at the White House

Safety Tips For Watching The Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse will be visible from many parts of the United States on Aug. 21, as the moon’s shadow moves across the country from west to east. NASA offered safety tips for viewing.

Donald Trump accuses Republicans of 'doing very little' to protect him during 'phony Russian witch hunt'

Having spent the day at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, he returned home to fire off a brace of tweets in his typically combative style. Mr Trump did not elaborate on which Republicans he meant but many within his own party have attacked him ever since he announced his intention to seek the party’s nomination, accusing him of being a political opportunist rather than a “true” Republican. Members of the Republican party are playing in active role in the various investigations into the Trump campaign team’s communications with Russian representatives ahead of the 2016 election.

Alaska town's purr-fect unofficial cat mayor dies

July 23 (Reuters) - Stubbs, the cat who became the unofficial mayor and a tourist attraction for the small Alaska town of Talkeetna, has died at 20, his owners said.

John McCain enjoys 'amazing hike' with daughter Meghan days after being diagnosed with cancer

Within days of being diagnosed with cancer, John McCain has enjoyed an 'amazing hike' with his daughter Meghan. Ms McCain, a host on Fox News, tweeted a picture of her sitting with the Arizona Senator. "Amazing hike with Dad this morning, Thank you for your best wishes." Mr Mcain, 80, was diagnosed with a brain tumour after doctors removed a blood clot above his left eye. Amazing hike with Dad @SenJohnMcCain this morning. Thank you all for your best wishes! pic.twitter.com/P9RR2v91HB— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) July 22, 2017 He and his family are reviewing options for further treatment, which are expected to include a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. The diagnosis was greeted with shock across the US political spectrum with Donald Trump wishing Mr McCain, who has been one of his most vociferous Republican critics,  well. Barack Obama hailed Mr McCain, who ran against him in the 2008 presidential election,  as a fighter.  “Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John,” the former president tweeted. Widely respected in Washington, Mr McCain was captured during the Vietnam War and spent five and a half years in captivity during which he was tortured before being released in 1973.

Afghanistan's Shiites mark anniversary of deadly attack

The site west of Kabul is the last resting place for victims of a deadly suicide bombing on July 23 last year -- the first claimed by the Islamic State group in the heart of Kabul against Afghanistan's Shiite Muslim Hazara ethnic minority. The line from Turkmenistan to Kabul, capital of energy-starved Afghanistan, bypasses the province of Bamiyan, a Hazara stronghold. For Hazara leaders the route is a further sign of discrimination against their community and their province, one of the least developed in Afghanistan.

Archaeologists Return to Legendary Birthplace of King Arthur

Archaeologists are back at the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Last summer, researchers discovered traces of early medieval life at Tintagel in Cornwall, on England's southwest coast, where the legendary British monarch was said to have been born. It was during this time that King Arthur is said to have fought the invading Saxons.

Serbia's president urges nation to resolve Kosovo relations

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia must resolve its relations with its breakaway former province of Kosovo in order to move forward, Serbia's president wrote in an opinion piece Monday.

Trump mocks Republicans for repeal and replace promise

On Monday, President Trump urged Republicans to take action on repealing and replacing Obamacare. He also mocked them for continuing to promise to repeal and replace the law, but not acting on that promise.

Anthony Scaramucci: President Trump Is 'Thinking About Pardoning Nobody'

He called the investigation into Russia's election interference "nonsensical"

California crews hold wildfire in check, letting more residents go home

California authorities battling a massive wildfire near Yosemite National Park lifted evacuation orders on Sunday for more local residents but said firefighters may need almost two more weeks to contain the blaze fully. The Detwiler Fire is 40 percent contained, unchanged from Saturday, after burning 76,000 acres (30,700 hectares) and 130 structures, including 63 homes, since it broke out on Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Evacuation orders were lifted as of 12 p.m. PST for much of the historic gold rush era town of Coulterville and nearby areas as firefighters completed firelines to contain the blaze, Cal Fire said in a statement.

'Good girl' cheerleader charged with killing, burying newborn in parent's garden

Police arrested an 18-year-old Ohio cheerleader last week after remains of her newborn baby were found in her backyard, according to Fox News.

Hopes for future HIV cure revived as South African child becomes third in remission

A nine-year-old South African child with HIV has surprised experts by showing no symptoms of the virus having had just one year of treatment followed by eight and a half years with no drugs. This has given hope to the 37 million people worldwide infected with the virus that causes AIDS. However, the case is extremely rare and does not suggest a simple path to a cure, experts say. HIV patients typically have to keep taking antiretroviral (ART) drugs permanently to stop the virus from developing into AIDS. However, this child has no signs of the disease. Prince Harry and Rihanna get tested for HIV 00:52 The child was part of a clinical trial in which researchers were investigating the effect of treating HIV-positive babies in the first few weeks of life, and then stopping and starting the ART medicines while checking whether their HIV was being controlled. The case was revealed Monday at an AIDS conference in Paris. "It's a case that raises more questions than it necessarily answers," said Linda-Gail Bekker, president of the International AIDS Society, which is holding the conference in Paris this week. "It does raise the interesting notion that maybe treatment isn't for life," she said, adding that "it's clearly a rare phenomenon." Researchers believe that intensive treatment soon after infection could enable long-term remission of the disease.  Treatment with ART started when the child was almost nine weeks old but was interrupted at 40 weeks when the virus had been suppressed, and the child was monitored regularly for any signs of relapse. Naomi Campbell 'stands in solidarity' with millions of women on World AIDS day 00:27 The South African child, who contracted the virus from its mother, is the third who achieved a long remission using this approach.  Other similar cases include a French woman aged roughly 20 who was born with HIV and has her infection under control despite no HIV medicines since she was around six, and a Mississippi baby born with HIV in 2010 suppressed her infection for 27 months after stopping treatment before it reappeared in her blood. She was able to get the virus under control again after treatment resumed. However, researchers believe the South African case is the first instance of sustained virological control from a randomised trial of ART interruption following early treatment of infants. "At age 9.5 years, the child was clinically asymptomatic," the researchers said. UNAIDS, the United Nations HIV/AIDs agency, said last week that 19.5 million people worldwide are now receiving treatment. The vast majority of patients with HIV find that the virus increases in the body if they stop treatment, but this child was different, according to researchers. Sharon Lewin, an HIV expert at the University of Melbourne and co-chair of the IAS's HIV Cure and Cancer forum, said the case threw up possible insights into how the human immune system can controls HIV replication when treatment is interrupted. Yet in terms of the scientific search for a cure for HIV and AIDS, she said, it appeared only to confirm previous reports of similarly rare cases. "We know that very rarely, people who have had treatment and stopped it are then able to control the virus." The HIV/AIDs pandemic has killed around 35 million people worldwide since the 1980s.

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow: 'Pardons are not on the table'

Trump legal team member Jay Sekulow talks about the latest in the Russia investigation on "This Week."

Robot finds possible melted fuel inside Fukushima reactor

Lava-like rocks believed to be melted nuclear fuel have been spotted inside Japan's stricken Fukushima reactor by an underwater robot, the plant's operator said at the end of a three-day inspection. Large amounts of the solidified lumps and deposit were spotted for the first time by the robot on the floor of the primary containment vessel underneath the core of Fukushima's No. 3 reactor, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said. "There is a high possibility that the solidified objects are mixtures of melted metal and fuel that fell from the vessel," a TEPCO spokesman said, adding that the company was planning further analysis of the images.

Jordanian man killed, two people wounded at Israeli embassy in Jordan: police

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - One Jordanian was killed and two people, a Jordanian and an Israeli, were wounded in a shooting incident on Sunday in a building inside the Israeli embassy complex in Jordan's capital Amman, police said. The two Jordanians, working for a furniture firm, had entered the embassy compound before the shooting, the police said in a statement, adding that the dead man was killed by a gunshot and the two wounded men had been rushed to hospital. Israel has imposed a ban on reporting the incident and has made no public comment.

US student freed after week held in China over taxi dispute

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — An American university student is free following a weeklong detention in China for allegedly injuring a taxi driver who was roughing up his mother during a fare dispute, in a case that drew objections over the student's treatment from U.S. lawmakers.

Latest Republican health bill 'a porkfest, a monstrosity', Rand Paul says

Rand Paul has helped to block Republican efforts to introduce a new health bill. Rand Paul, one of the conservative senators who has helped to hold up Republican healthcare reform, on Sunday derided the current Senate bill as a “monstrosity” and a “porkfest” and said he would not vote for it to proceed to debate this week. With Donald Trump telling senators to stay in Washington until they have a replacement for Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), Mitch McConnell is reportedly looking to hold a vote to proceed to debate as early as Tuesday.

Mom of Teen Who Went Missing at Sea with Friend Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Other Family

She claims their negligence led to the boys' deaths in the suit.

Former press secretary allegedly stole one item from junior staffers

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was forced to take a mini-fridge from junior White House staffers' office early in his tenure, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Microsoft is killing legendary Paint after 32 years

Microsoft is finally killing off its legendary Paint program after more than three decades.  The software giant announced it will drop support for the popular drawing app in its upcoming Windows 10 update. It marked Paint as "deprecated" in a list of apps and features that may be removed from the software, meaning the app is "not in active development and might be removed in future releases". Microsoft Paint has been a staple of the Windows operating system for 32 years and has been installed with every version since 1985. The tool lets users easily copy and paste, crop and colour images, or simply doodle and create drawings.  As of last year, Paint was still used by 100 million people a month, according to Microsoft.  Oi @Microsoft! #paintpic.twitter.com/XSmeLn2V5n— Mark Reel (@markreel) July 24, 2017 Microsoft is stopping making Microsoft Paint, goodbye to all our childhood years— King Boo(b) (@NlNTENDHO) 24 July 2017 RIP Microsoft Paint. ��— Jamie Gilbey (@Poddddddd) 24 July 2017 The death of Paint comes as part of Microsoft's Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, announced in May. The update will bring tools that make it easier to switch between tablets, laptop and phones and augmented reality video and photo editing tools in StoryMix. The Fall Creators update is expected to be released in the Autumn, although Microsoft has not confirmed a release date. Microsoft Paint has come a long way. With Paint 3D, it's easy to create in the third dimension. See how: https://t.co/hNhuYCF2iK#Windows10pic.twitter.com/O6992ZtqoH— Windows (@Windows) July 19, 2017 Microsoft is sidelining Paint following the release of its next generation Paint 3D in April. Paint 3D contains tools for 3D image making and, although it is inspired by the original, is not a direct update.  While Paint is not useful for complicated photo editing or design, its simplicity made it popular with early users of Windows and it has remained a feature of the operating system. The best art made using Microsoft Paint The updated Paint 3D is designed for use with Microsoft's Surface Pen, which lets users draw more natural and detailed pictures than were ordinarily possible in classic Paint. Despite its simplicity, many users were still able to create detailed drawings and sketches using the simple tools in Paint. Windows through the ages

Indian court sentences pair to death over serial killings

An Indian court sentenced a businessman and his servant to death Monday for the murder of a woman at a mansion dubbed the "House of Horrors", where 18 other victims were found butchered. Moninder Singh Pandher and his groundskeeper Surinder Koli were found guilty at the weekend of the rape and murder of 20-year-old Pinki Sarkar, whose skeleton was found along with other human remains near Pandher's house outside New Delhi in 2006. "The prosecution presented a watertight case against the accused and the judgement is appropriate," R K Gaur, a spokesman for India's federal Central Bureau of Investigation, told AFP.

What Happens If You Eat Too Much Tuna Fish?

Tuna fish is healthy and tasty, but too much of it can be deadly.

Hundreds of Islamic State corpses await repatriation from Libya

Seven months after Libyan forces defeated Islamic State in the coastal city of Sirte, hundreds of bodies of foreign militants still lie stored in freezers as authorities negotiate with other governments to decide what to do with them, local officials say. The corpses have been shipped to Misrata, a city further to the west whose forces led the fight to defeat Islamic State in Sirte in December. Allowing the bodies to be shipped home to countries such as Tunisia, Sudan and Egypt would be sensitive for the governments involved, wary of acknowledging how many of their citizens left to fight as jihadists in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Japan almost finished with probe into US Navy ship collision

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities said Monday that they were almost finished with their investigation into last month's collision between a Philippine freighter and a U.S. naval destroyer that left seven Navy sailors dead, but still haven't been given access to data from the U.S. side.

Polish president vetoes controversial court reforms

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday vetoed controversial judicial reforms that had prompted huge street protests and threats of unprecedented EU sanctions. The veto came as a surprise move from Duda, a close ally of the ruling rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party that had pushed the reforms. Duda said he had made his decision after extensive consultations with legal experts at the weekend, when thousands of people took to the streets across Poland urging him to veto proposals that have led critics to accuse the government of threatening the rule of law.

Homeless people cleared from New York subway to make it look 'nice' for Mayor Bill de Blasio's ride

The New York Police Department was sent an email that instructed officers to clear homeless people from certain stations to make them "look nice" for Mayor Bill de Blasio's subway ride. The New York Post reported that officers were given the morning to "make sure nobody's hanging out" on the four station route the Mayor and wife Chirlane would be taking from the Park Slope neighbourhood to his re-election headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn. Mr de Blasio rarely rides the subway and prefers to take private motorcade with an NYPD security detail to work at City Hall.

Trump's immigration crackdown causing strain on courts

President Donald Trump's promised crackdown on illegal immigration has resulted in temporary reassignments of about one-third of the nation's immigration judges, a move judges and activists say is only further backlogging already jammed immigration courts.

Woman Facing Murder Charges Pleads Guilty in Fiance's Kayak Death

Angelika Graswald pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in the drowning death of her fiance.

Ryanair firms Alitalia interest, as EasyJet boosts jobs

Ryanair has made a "non-binding offer" for loss-making Italian rival Alitalia, the Irish no-frills carrier said Monday, as rival EasyJet said it plans to employ more than 1,200 new staff. "We have made a non-binding offer for Alitalia. As the largest airline in Italy, it's important we are involved in the process," Ryanair said in a statement after Italian media said Friday that about ten such bids had been made.

Iran top judge demands U.S. release assets, jailed Iranians

Iran's top judge called on the United States on Monday to release Iranians held in U.S. jails and billions of dollars in Iranian assets, days after Washington urged Tehran to free three U.S. citizens. The statement by Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani capped a week of heightened rhetoric over the jailing and disappearance of Americans in Iran and new U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

South Sudan sexual violence on 'massive scale,' report says

WAU, South Sudan (AP) — It's been five months since the shy, frail 13-year-old was snatched from his bed, drugged and raped in the middle of the night. The boy hasn't been able to say much since.

There might be a whole bunch of water hiding inside the moon

With how much attention humanity has devoted to studying Earth's moon over the centuries, you'd think we'd had a good handle on just about everything there is to know about our nearest neighbor. Some extremely interesting new research suggests that's simply not the case, and if the scientific team comprised of researchers from the University of Hawaii as well as Brown holds water, the moon might be a great deal more wet inside than previously thought. Scientists have known for some time that there is at least some water on the moon. However, the complete lack of an atmosphere and the ravages of our sun was blamed for its almost complete depletion. But now, the idea that a greater amount of water might be hiding underneath the moon's surface is beginning to look quite plausible, and after detecting tiny bits of water encased in volcanic glass within the moon rocks brought back to Earth from the Apollo missions, this new research effort is looking deeper. Combining the previous discoveries with extremely accurate temperature readings of the moon's surface, the team suggests that "water-rich deposits" are hiding just below the dusty landscape. The readings point to pockets of water trapped within long dormant volcanic areas, and while the team hasn't ventured a guess as to how the water originally got on the moon in the first place, they are fairly certain that it is indeed there. With several planned missions aimed at further manned exploration of the lunar surface and even the potential of moon bases, the presence of water and the possibility of utilizing it will surely be explored before long.

WRX STI Type RA NBR achieves incredible Nurburgring lap time

There's no getting away from what a stunning piece of technology and automotive engineering the Porsche 918 Spyder was when it was revealed to the world a couple of years ago, and it was no surprise when it put in an amazing lap time at the world famous Nurburgring. It's only right then that we would have expected a genuine challenge to that lap time to come from some equally advanced hybrid hypercar, but Subaru has come extremely close to beating the 918's time without an electric motor in sight with its WRX STI Type RA NBR. To be fair to both Porsche and Subaru, the WRX STI Type RA NBR isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill car by any means.

Republican strategy on healthcare bill in flux ahead of vote

By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senate leaders aim to hold a procedural vote as early as Tuesday to take up legislation to repeal or replace Obamacare, but it remained unclear which version of the bill senators would vote on. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned on a pledge to roll back former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Senator John Thune, a member of the Republican leadership, told "Fox News Sunday" the initial vote was simply a way to open debate on the bill so that senators from both parties could offer amendments.

Jihadists take control of major Syrian city

Jihadists on Sunday took Idlib in Syria after rival rebels withdrew, strengthening their grip over the northwestern city and its province, one of the last beyond regime control. At the same time a car bomb exploded in Idlib killing 11 people, nine of them jihadists, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. The truce ended a week of fierce fighting between HTS and Ahrar al-Sham, which is backed by Turkey and some Gulf countries, that killed at least 92 people including 15 civilians, the Observatory said.

I Bought a Portable Air Conditioner. Should You?

The alternative to a window unit, explained.

Teenagers who laughed and filmed a disabled man as he drowned may face criminal charges

Five boys between 14 and 16 years old reportedly laughed loudly when 32-year-old Jamel Dunn screamed and was submerged in a retention pond in Cocoa, Florida. The teenagers taunted and shouted insults at Dunn during the one-minute video as he struggled in the water and shouted for help. Under Florida law, it is not a punishable offence for a witness not to help a person in need, and the youths were likely not to face charges.

Mugabe lavishes sister-in-law with $60,000 birthday gift

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe lavished his sister-in-law with $60,000 on her birthday, state-owned media reported Monday, at a time when the country is running critically short of cash. The Herald newspaper said Mugabe, 93, and his wife Grace gave Junior Gumbochuma the money at her birthday celebrations, while the couple's children gave her $10,000. Gumbochuma, who is Grace Mugabe's elder sister, celebrated her 60th birthday on Sunday as Grace celebrated her 52nd at one of the Mugabes' farms in Shamva, northeast of Harare.