Corpus Christi

Scaramucci says Trump still not sure Russia interfered in election

The president’s new communications director spent his first Sunday morning on the job sparring with CNN’s Jake Tapper, telling the “State of the Union“ host that his new boss is still not sure Moscow meddled in the 2016 campaign.

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.

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.”

Teen Driver Livestreamed Crash That Killed Her Little Sister: Cops

Obdulia Sanchez was booked on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter after Friday's crash killed her 14-year-old sister.

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.

USS Constitution returns to Boston's waters after repairs

BOSTON (AP) — The USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, returned late Sunday to Boston's waters.

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.

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):

Trump suggests Republicans should ‘protect their president’

The president tweeted on Sunday that it is “very sad” Republicans are doing "very little to protect" him — and admitted that the ongoing Russia probe, while “phony,” may be “taking hold.”

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.

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.

Five killed in Mexico City shootings

Five people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in separate shootings in Mexico City on Sunday, authorities said, adding to a growing death toll in the capital which has largely been spared the criminal violence plaguing the country. Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot four people in a bar in the gritty Llano Redondo neighborhood on the city's southwestern fringe early on Sunday morning, according to the local attorney general's office. Then on Sunday afternoon, a 45-year-old woman and a man of 55 were fatally shot at a street market in the sprawling borough of Iztapalapa on the eastern edge of Mexico City, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

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.

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.

Israel and Jordan in diplomatic standoff  after Israeli security agent kills two at embassy in Amman

Jordan is refusing to allow an Israeli diplomatic security agent to leave the country after he killed two Jordanians while being attacked at Israel’s embassy in Amman, leading to a diplomatic standoff between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbour.   The situation began on Sunday when a 17-year-old Jordanian carpenter came to a residential building inside the heavily-fortified Israeli embassy compound to replace some furniture. The carpenter then attacked the Israeli guard with a screw driver, according to the Israeli foreign ministry. The guard opened fire and killed the carpenter but also fatally wounded the landlord of the building, a Jordanian doctor.  Jordanian police deployed to Israel's embassy after a shooting left two people dead Credit: REUTERS Jordanian police are now demanding that the wounded security guard submit to interrogation over the killings. But Israel has said the agent has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested or questioned. “In accordance with the Vienna Convention, the security officer has immunity from investigation and imprisonment,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.  Jordan's Department of Public Safety said it was investigating the incident.  The scene outside Israel's embassy in Amman Credit: REUTERS Jordan is one of only two Arab countries that have diplomatic ties to Israel and the shooting in Amman adds new strain on the already sensitive Israeli-Jordanian relationship.  The shooting comes amid a wave of violence sparked by tensions over the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.  Israel installed metal detectors at the mosque after Palestinians smuggled guns into the holy site and used them to kill two Israeli police officers.  But the metal detectors have sparked a major backlash from Palestinians, who see them as part of Israeli effort to assert its control over the holy site, which is also sacred to to Jews and known to Israelis as the Temple Mount.  The clashes took place in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank Credit: AFP PHOTO / Ahmad GHARABLIAHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images On Friday there were widespread clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces, which ended with the deaths of three young Palestinians.  Late on Friday evening a Palestinian teenager crept in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and killed three Israelis as they sat for traditional shabbat dinner.    It was not clear if the carpenter in Amman was motivated by the situation at al-Aqsa. There have been large demonstrations in Jordan in solidarity with Palestinians in Jerusalem.  Jordan plays a role in the Islamic administration of the al-Aqsa mosque and Israeli and Jordanian officials had been speaking behind the scenes all last week to try to reach a compromise to reduce tensions. No agreement was struck. Palestinian Muslim worshippers pray outside Damascus Gate, a main entrance to Jerusalem's Old City Credit: / AFP PHOTO / GALI TIBBONGALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump’s peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt, was due to fly to the region on Monday to try to help broker a deal.  The Palestinian Authority - the semi-autonomous Palestinian government in the West Bank - has cut all official contact with Israel over the situation at al-Aqsa. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is under pressure from his public to take a hard line over al-Aqsa.  Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is under similar pressure from the Right-wing of his own coalition government.  While the Israeli military and lead security agency are said to favour removing the metal detectors at al-Aqsa to calm the situation, Mr Netanyahu’s more Right-wing cabinet ministers say removing the detectors would be giving in to Palestinian pressure.  The cabinet met late on Sunday to discuss the issue but no decision was made.  Jordanian security forces deployed around Israel’s fortress-like embassy in Amman on Monday to protect it. Israel’s diplomats were huddled inside the compound, effectively stuck there until the situation with the guard is resolved.  “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security authorities are working with the Jordanian government over various channels,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Three killed in northeast Nigeria suicide attacks

Three people were killed in suicide bomb attacks at a camp for those displaced by the Boko Haram conflict in northeast Nigeria, the emergency services said on Monday. Abdulkadir Ibrahim, from the National Emergency Management Agency, said the blasts happened at about 11:20 pm (2220 GMT) on Sunday, just outside the Borno state capital of Maiduguri. "Two suicide bombers (a male and a female) detonated their improvised explosive devices at Dalori 1 IDP (internally displaced persons) camp, leading to the death of three IDPs, while 17 others were injured," he said in a statement.

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.

Donald Trump Jr. adds Washington lawyer to legal team

The president's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has added a lawyer with congressional experience to his legal team, the lawyer told Reuters on Sunday. Trump Jr. has hired Karina Lynch of the law firm Williams and Jensen, Lynch confirmed in an email to Reuters. Trump Jr. also hired Alan Futerfas as a lawyer after reports detailed meetings last year between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer.

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.

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.

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.

What Happens If You Eat Too Much Tuna Fish?

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

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.

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.

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.

US technology firm to implant 50 employees with identification microchips

A US firm has begun implanting microchips the size of a grain of rice in its employees. Three Square Market, a technology firm in Wisconsin, said 50 of its employees had voluntarily signed up to have the Radio-Frequency Identification technology fitted form August. Implanted between the thumb and forefinger it will allow them to pay for snacks when they are on a break among other functions. In a statement Chief Executive Officer Todd Westby said: "We foresee the use of RFID technology to drive everything from making purchases in our office break room market, opening doors, use of copy machines, logging into our office computers, unlocking phones, sharing business cards, storing medical/health information, and used as payment at other RFID terminals," "It's the next thing that's inevitably going to happen, and we want to be a part of it."   He added: "Eventually, this technology will become standardised allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities." The technology is the same sis is used to pay for items using mobile phone scans. Employees will not be required to have the implants and the company will pay for the microchips which cost $300 each.

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.

The Latest: Officials: Mexico, Guatemala natives on truck

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Latest on several people found dead in the back of a tractor-trailer in a Walmart parking lot in Texas (all times local):

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.

Hezbollah says battle with Nusra Front almost won at Syria-Lebanon border

By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Monday its battle with Nusra Front jihadists at the Syria-Lebanon border was almost over and urged remaining insurgents in the area to give up, pressing its campaign to take their last foothold at the frontier. With the Nusra Front almost beaten in the mountainous area on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, the next phase is expected to focus on adjacent territory held by Islamic State militants. The Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group has played a critical role in vanquishing Sunni Muslim jihadists in the border region during the six-year-long Syrian war, part of its critical military support provided to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Popularity tumbles for France's Macron: poll

A poll out Sunday shows the popularity rating of France's new President Emmanuel Macron has slumped 10 points to hit 54 percent over the past month. The 39-year-old leader has also backed a controversial bill to toughen France's security laws that includes measures some rights groups have branded as draconian. According to an Ifop poll carried out for Journal du Dimanche newspaper, the number of French people satisfied with his performance fell 10 points from 64 percent in June.

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.

I Bought a Portable Air Conditioner. Should You?

The alternative to a window unit, explained.