| A History Of Donald Trump's Tasteless Comments About 9/11 Posted: 11 Sep 2017 06:45 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump on Monday commemorated the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, leading a moment of silence at the White House to mark the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York.
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| The Faces of Hurricane Irma Posted: 10 Sep 2017 08:56 AM PDT  Across the Caribbean and in Florida, victims found themselves in the long path of a historic storm, forever connected by what they've endured.
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| Florida Deputy Aiding Storm Shelter Killed In Crash With Prison Officer, Who Also Died Posted: 10 Sep 2017 11:26 AM PDT  A Florida sheriff's deputy was helping supply an evacuation shelter ahead of Hurricane Irma's landfall Sunday morning the vehicle she was driving crashed into one driven by a state prison employee, killing them both, according to local reports.
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| Irma: Tampa Bay Empties Out Ahead of Huge Storm Surge Posted: 10 Sep 2017 08:48 AM PDT  On Sunday, Tampa Bay and other bays and canals up and down the Gulf coast emptied out — a rare phenomenon that typically precedes a massive storm surge.
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| Houston residents confront officials over decision to flood neighborhoods Posted: 09 Sep 2017 04:03 PM PDT  By Emily Flitter HOUSTON (Reuters) - Angry Houston residents shouted at city officials on Saturday over decisions to intentionally flood certain neighborhoods during Hurricane Harvey, as they returned to homes that may have been contaminated by overflowing sewers. A town hall grew heated after City Council member Greg Travis, who represents parts of western Houston, told about 250 people that an Army Corps of Engineers official told him that certain gauges measuring water levels at the Buffalo Bayou - the city's main waterway - failed due to a decision to release water from two municipal reservoirs to avoid an overflow.
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| Irma sends cranes tumbling in flooded Miami Posted: 10 Sep 2017 03:39 PM PDT  While southwest Florida bore the deadly brunt of Irma's wrath Sunday, the coastlines of Miami and the neighboring island of Miami Beach were heavily inundated by storm surges as hurricane winds sent two giant construction cranes crashing down. The hurricane, which weakened to a Category Two as it headed north along the east coast of Florida toward the city of Naples packing winds of 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour, killed three people when it struck the southern Keys island chain as a more powerful Category Four. Miami had been preparing for a direct impact before Irma turned and headed west, but was still hit by the outer bands of wind at 90 miles (145 kilometers) an hour and some spontaneous tornadoes.
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| Who are the Rohingya Muslims? The stateless minority fleeing violence in Burma Posted: 11 Sep 2017 03:57 AM PDT  They have often been called the most persecuted minority in the world. The 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims squeezed precariously into the north-west state of Rakhine, in mainly Buddhist Burma, bordering majority Muslim Bangladesh, are stateless and unwanted. Neither country will give them citizenship even though their families' roots in modern-day Rakhine, once called Arakan, can be traced back to the Eighth Century. Displaced Rohingya refugees from Rakhine state in Myanmar carry their belongings as they flee violence, near Ukhia, near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar on September 4 Credit: K.M. ASAD/AFP Since World War Two they have been treated increasingly by Burmese authorities as illegal, interloping Bengalis, facing apartheid-like conditions that deny them free movement or state education while government forces intermittently drive out and slaughter them. Displaced Rohingya refugees from Rakhine state in Myanmar rest near Ukhia, near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, as they flee violence on September 4, 2017 Credit: AFP Over the past year, military operations against Rohingya villages have been so intense and cruel that the minority's defenders have warned of an unfolding genocide. The United Nations has reported that the army may have committed ethnic cleansing. The inhumane treatment of the Rohingyas has tarnished the image of Myanmar's civilian leader and Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, once a famously unflinching defender of human rights and darling of the West. She now faces international fury, particularly from Muslim nations, for failing to stand up to armed forces chief General Min Aung Hlaing, whose soldiers are accused of rape, murder, arson, and of ripping Rohingya babies from their mothers' arms and throwing them into rivers and fire. Rohingya Muslim refugees along with Indian supporters hold placards against human rights violations in Myanmar during a protest in New Delhi on September 5, 2017 Credit: AFP Ms Suu Kyi has publicly stuck to the military's line that the Rohingya are illegally squatting on the Burmese territory, leaving fellow Nobel winner, Malala Yousafzai, aghast and urging her to speak out against the tragedy. The latest military crackdown, which began on August 25, caused almost 90,000 Rohingyas to flee under fire to squalid, overflowing relief camps across the Bangladeshi border in just two weeks. Officially close to 400 people had died by early September, but human rights activists claim to have confirmation of at least 1,000 deaths and believe the figure is much higher. The death toll will inevitably rise after Burma, also known as Myanmar, blocked UN agencies from delivering vital food, water and medicine supplies to 250,000 Rakhine residents desperately in need. Rohingya Muslims driven from Burma, in pictures Ongoing persecution of the Rohingya has inevitably led to an armed, if disorganised, resistance. The army "clearing operations" which sparked the mass exodus of civilians in both October 2016 and in August 2017, were launched after insurgents known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked several paramilitary checkposts. Rohingya activists claim the insurgents are mainly young men who have been pushed to breaking point by relentless oppression. A report released in early September by the Burma Human Rights Network documents the rise of systematic abuses against Burmese Muslims since 2012, including the creation of "Muslim-free zones", denial of ID cards, and the banning of Islamic holidays. The oppression has been mirrored by an upsurge of ultra-nationalist Buddhist groups who encourage an anti-Muslim rhetoric. Pope Francis calls for "full rights" for Rohingya Muslims 01:21 ARSA has so far been described as a rag-tag collection of small groups armed with knives, sticks and some basic IEDs, rather than a robust military force or mass mobilisation. But rising anger in the Muslim world about the plight of the Rohingya has compounded fears of homegrown militancy as well as support from international jihadists. Al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen has already called for retaliatory attacks against Myanmar, while the Afghan Taliban called on Muslims to "use their abilities to help Burma's oppressed Muslims." Matthew Smith, director of Fortify Rights, a human rights group working with Rohingya refugees, said there was a danger of escalation. "There is certainly a risk that international extremist organisations will seek to be involved in northern Rakhine state," he said. "The best way to prevent this from escalating is to protect the rights of the civilian population. Myanmar is doing the exact opposite."
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| 'Reclaiming My Time' Gospel Song Is Now A Suicide Prevention Anthem Posted: 10 Sep 2017 08:29 AM PDT  Chirlane McCray is using music to try to dispel stigmas surrounding mental illness.
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| 'That's junk': Menendez trial judge jousts with attorneys Posted: 11 Sep 2017 06:36 AM PDT !['That's junk': Menendez trial judge jousts with attorneys]( "'That's junk': Menendez trial judge jousts with attorneys") NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — For sheer entertainment value, the potentially titillating aspects of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial — the lavish vacations paid for by a wealthy doctor and the doctor's efforts to get visas for reputed foreign girlfriends — have been eclipsed by the octogenarian jurist presiding over the trial and his verbal jousting with attorneys on both sides.
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| Hillary Clinton: Calling Trump Supporters ‘Deplorables’ Handed Him ‘A Political Gift’ Posted: 10 Sep 2017 08:26 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― Hillary Clinton on Sunday acknowledged that referring to then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables" may have further galvanized them against her and gave Trump "a political gift." "I thought Trump was behaving in a deplorable manner.
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| In photos: The most walkable cities in the US and Canada 2017 Posted: 11 Sep 2017 06:33 AM PDT |
| After Irma, Tim Duncan Pens Emotional Plea: 'Don't Forget' The U.S. Virgin Islands Posted: 10 Sep 2017 04:28 AM PDT  In an impassioned plea on behalf of his "home," the hurricane-battered U.S. Virgin Islands, former NBA star Tim Duncan has urged fans and others to not "forget" about the people who are suffering there ― and to act quickly and generously to extend a much-needed helping hand.
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| Americans on St. Maarten tell of Irma's devastation: 'It looked like a war zone' Posted: 10 Sep 2017 10:31 AM PDT  ABC News' Linzie Janis talks to Americans on St. Maarten about Hurricane Irma's devastation.
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| Thousands of homes wrecked by huge Mexican quake, death toll at 90 Posted: 10 Sep 2017 01:21 PM PDT  A massive earthquake off southern Mexico on Thursday night that killed at least 90 people damaged tens of thousands of homes and afflicted upwards of two million people in the poorer south, state officials said, as more details of the disaster emerged. The 8.1 magnitude quake off the coast of Chiapas state was stronger than a 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands. Late on Saturday, authorities in the southern state of Oaxaca said there were 71 confirmed fatalities there, many of them in the town of Juchitan, where the rush to bury victims crowded a local cemetery on Saturday.
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| These 9/11 Families Still Don't Have Their Relatives' Remains 16 Years Later Posted: 11 Sep 2017 03:00 AM PDT  The remains of hundreds of 9/11 victims have never been identified
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| Two-by-two: Flamingos evacuate zoo in perfect formation as parrots find shelter from Irma on 22nd floor of Florida hotel Posted: 11 Sep 2017 01:30 AM PDT  The exotic birds in a Miami zoo appeared to know a storm was coming. A video shows flamingos strutting in line to their hurricane shelter before Irma struck: Flamingos moved to safety as Hurricane Irma approaches 00:22 The flock walked two-by-two to safety indoors to wait out the storm which has hit Florida. In their secure room Credit: REUTERS Another woman, Laura Aguiar, shared a picture on Facebook of a strange sight she saw outside her hotel window. Seemingly knowing a storm was coming, two parrots took roost on the 22nd floor of her hotel. The parrots were peeking in her window Credit: Laura Aguiar Animals have been sheltering in strange places all over Florida. One woman shared a picture her friend took of some flamingos he was sheltering in his laundry room in Key West: A friend in #KeyWest is sheltering some flamingoes in his laundry room! pic.twitter.com/CJW9pul5j2— Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan (@cheryltan88) September 10, 2017 According to the poster on Twitter, the flamingos pictured were from a nearby butterfly conservatory. The pair of birds huddled in the corner as they waited out the storm. Hurricane Irma | Key articles
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| Democrat On Trump Voter Fraud Probe Slams Voting Restriction Efforts Posted: 09 Sep 2017 11:41 AM PDT  A Democratic member of President Donald Trump's commission to investigate voter fraud issued some of the strongest criticism yet from within the panel on efforts to make it more difficult to vote.
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| Police: At least 8 dead after shooting in North Texas Posted: 10 Sep 2017 09:22 PM PDT ![Police: At least 8 dead after shooting in North Texas]( "Police: At least 8 dead after shooting in North Texas") PLANO, Texas (AP) — At least eight people are dead, including the suspect, after a shooting at a home in Plano, Texas, authorities in North Texas said Sunday night.
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| Steve Bannon Says Trump Firing Comey May Be Biggest Mistake In Modern Politics Posted: 10 Sep 2017 07:49 PM PDT  Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist at the White House, described President Donald Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey as a historic error.
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| ‘Wait. What?’ Al Roker Reacts to News Rush Limbaugh Evacuated Florida Studio After Calling Hurricane Irma a Hoax Posted: 09 Sep 2017 11:16 AM PDT  After spending much of this week telling his listeners that Hurricane Irma was fake news, Rush Limbaugh his fled his home base in Palm Beach, Florida, in anticipation of landfall
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| Beached Manatees Rescued From Low Tide In Wake of Hurricane Irma Posted: 10 Sep 2017 05:17 PM PDT  A group of Florida residents came across two beached manatees Sunday afternoon in a bay that had dried up as a result of Hurricane Irma.
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| Russian strikes kill 34 civilians in Syria's Deir Ezzor: monitor Posted: 10 Sep 2017 11:43 AM PDT  Russian air strikes Sunday killed 34 civilians on ferries fleeing violence in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where jihadists face separate assaults by US-backed forces and Russian-backed government troops, a monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor initially reported 21 deaths but later raised the toll to 34, saying that "more bodies have been found in the river" Euphrates. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said nine children were among those killed fleeing fighting and that "dozens" of people were wounded in the strikes.
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| Drugmaker Teva hires Lundbeck CEO Schultz to restore its health Posted: 11 Sep 2017 07:07 AM PDT ![Drugmaker Teva hires Lundbeck CEO Schultz to restore its health]( "Drugmaker Teva hires Lundbeck CEO Schultz to restore its health") By Steven Scheer and Stine Jacobsen JERUSALEM/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Teva poached Lundbeck's Kare Schultz as its new chief executive on Monday, handing the drugs industry veteran the urgent task of convincing investors of the struggling Israeli firm's future. An acquisition spree saddled Teva with huge debts, eroding confidence in the world's largest generics drugmaker, whose stock has halved since early August when it cut its forecasts. One key initial decision for Schultz, who will be paid a base salary of $2 million a year plus various bonuses and stock options and is getting a $20 million signing-on fee, will be to decide whether to maintain Teva as both a generics and specialty drugmaker, split it in two or get out of low-margin, high competition generics.
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| These Areas in Florida Should Boil Their Water After Irma Posted: 11 Sep 2017 04:51 AM PDT  Five counties are affected
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| 'Heroic' Italian man drowns with three of his family, after saving three-year-old granddaughter from floodwaters in Tuscany Posted: 10 Sep 2017 11:50 AM PDT  A 'heroic' Italian man who saved his three-year-old granddaughter from a flooded basement apartment before drowning while trying desperately to save the rest of his family was among at least seven people killed as a violent storm lashed Tuscany on Sunday. Roberto Ramacciotti, 65, lived in a separate flat above his grandchildren and their parents, Simone and Glenda Ramacciotti, in an apartment block in the viale Nazario Sauro near the station in the port city of Leghorn (Livorno). After waking during the deluge on Sunday he raced downstairs and dived into the flooded apartment. He managed to bring out to safety his three-year-old granddaughter, Camilla, before going back into the flooded garden flat several times to try and save her brother. After diving into the basement a fifth time he failed to re-emerge, losing his own life in the attempt, firefighters quoted by the Corriere della Sera said. A partially submerged car in the Leghorn area, flooded after heavy rain, on September 10 Credit: AFP In all at least three other people died in Leghorn from the flooding in addition to the family of four, taking the death toll to at least seven, authorities said. "The little girl survived due to the heroic gesture of her grandfather," the Livorno Telegrafo newspaper reported. Roberto and his son Simone both had worked as insurance agents in the nearby city of Empoli but Roberto had retired to enjoy his pension. The young family was sleeping when the water rushed through their small garden into their flat and they had no time to react, firefighters said. Divers from the local fire service were working in the flooded flat to recover the bodies as tearful neighbours watched outside. A number of tourists visiting the area had to change their plans after the Leghorn train station was closed from 3am on Sunday and a campsite was evacuated. People are seen cleaning mud following floods in Leghorn Credit: REUTERS The stretch of coast near the city has been a favourite haunt of British tourists since the drowned body of the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley washed up at the nearby resort of Lerici in 1822 and was cremated on the beach by Byron and other friends. "The situation is very difficult, it's critical. The city is on its knees," Leghorn mayor Filippo Nogarin said. The Italian Government had underestimated the danger, issuing a code orange alert for the region rather than red, said Mr Nogarin. "We didn't expect this because the alert was orange. Then we woke up to this," he said adding that the death toll "may still rise" and could have been avoided entirely. Italy's civil protection service said the code orange alert for Florence was still in place as the storms, which began in northern Italy overnight, swept down the country towards the south. Underpasses were closed in parts of Rome, and seven metro stations were shut due to flooding. The city council asked residents to stay at home unless they had urgent business and to avoid parks until they had been checked for possible falling trees.
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| Neil deGrasse Tyson Destroys Climate Change Deniers' Favorite Argument In 1 Tweet Posted: 10 Sep 2017 11:44 PM PDT  A go-to argument from science deniers was absolutely crushed by one of the world's most famous scientists. Some believe one reason for the consensus that human activity has caused climate change is that scientists are in cahoots with each other.
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| Realtor Who Vanished During Harvey Found Dead, Ex-Husband Arrested Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:08 PM PDT  UPDATE: 11:08 p.m. ― Steve McDowell, the ex-husband of realtor Crystal McDowell, was arrested and charged with murder on Saturday in connection with her death.
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| 9/11: Donald Trump's bizarre quotes about September 11 attacks before becoming President Posted: 11 Sep 2017 06:13 AM PDT  Donald Trump has been criticised for airing his controversial views on everything from LGBT rights to climate change, and the terrorist attacks on America of September 2001 are no exception. This time last year, the footage of his former rival Hillary Clinton buckling at the knees and being helped into a vehicle, sparked a vicious debate about her health and fitness for office. Following the commemoration last year, Mr Trump appeared to spend more time baiting Ms Clinton than remembering the 9/11 victims.
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| Report: Minnesota student left to join IS group in 2015 Posted: 10 Sep 2017 12:39 PM PDT ![Report: Minnesota student left to join IS group in 2015]( "Report: Minnesota student left to join IS group in 2015") MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis college student left his family while on vacation in Morocco two years ago and joined the Islamic State group in Syria, according to newly unsealed court files.
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| Georgia Man Holds Cookout For Florida Evacuees Near Highway: 'It Was Beautiful' Posted: 10 Sep 2017 11:40 AM PDT  Along with his local community, he fed about 2,000 people.
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| Catalan independence vote divides region's mayors Posted: 09 Sep 2017 05:48 PM PDT  Argentona (Espagne) (AFP) - "It's a dream come true," says Eudald Calvo, mayor of Argentona, a municipality near Barcelona which is gearing up for an October 1 referendum on Catalan independence that Madrid has branded illegal. When Catalonia's pro-separatist regional government asked for a list of polling stations, he didn't hesitate. Four schools and two municipal buildings will be open on that day for the 12,000 people registered to vote in this picturesque town nestled between hills and the sea some 30 kilometres (18 miles) northeast of Barcelona.
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| Sikh Canadian Politician Brilliantly Foils Racist Woman During Event Posted: 09 Sep 2017 10:10 PM PDT  Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh was meeting with his constituents on Wednesday in Brampton, Ontario, when a woman stormed up to him and began to harass him.
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| American won't resume Miami service until Tuesday at earliest Posted: 10 Sep 2017 08:27 PM PDT ![American won't resume Miami service until Tuesday at earliest]( "American won't resume Miami service until Tuesday at earliest") American Airlines Group Inc will not resume commercial flights at its Miami International Airport hub on Monday but may operate flights to bring in staff and supplies. The airline said earlier on Sunday it planned to begin limited operations on Monday after 5 p.m. (2100 GMT), but reversed course after the Miami airport said it would remain closed on Monday. "American now plans to resume limited operations when the airport reopens," the airline said, noting federal agencies must assess whether the airport can reopen.
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| Lorry-stopping 'super stinger' spiked net unveiled to protect crowds against terror attacks Posted: 10 Sep 2017 07:30 AM PDT  A spiked net designed to stop a terrorist lorry attack in its tracks has been unveiled by Scotland Yard to protect large public gatherings in the capital. The heavy net bristling with tungsten steel spikes can stop and trap a vehicle weighing up to 17-tons and was used for the first time to protect the Naval Associations Parade in Central London. The Met Police said the device could be laid out in less than a minute and halts even heavy vehicles by puncturing their front tyres and then becoming entangled in their wheels. The device can entangle and stop a 17-ton lorry Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS Protecting crowds from the prospect of a ramming attack has become a police priority after Islamist jihadists have used vehicles to plough into pedestrians in a string of atrocities in Britain and on the Continent. The device, known as Talon, was laid out on Whitehall on Sunday morning as hundreds of Royal Navy sailors and veterans paraded in front of the Cenotaph. The device was used for the first time to protect a Naval Associations Parade Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS A spokeswoman for the Met Police said: "The system is also designed to ensure that the vehicle skids in a straight line, significantly reducing risk to crowds and producing a well controlled stop after which officers can engage with the driver. "When the equipment is deployed, signs are placed in front and behind the net site advising both road users and pedestrians that there are spikes on the road and to follow instructions provided by officers." She said the device "is likely to become a familiar sight at events that attract large crowds in London". Both Islamic State and al-Qaeda have called on their followers to carry out vehicle ramming attacks. Hundreds of sailors and veterans paraded at the Cenotaph in central London to honour modern Naval heroes Credit: Julian Simmonds Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel killed 86 in Nice ploughing into crowds on Bastille Day 2016 and Anis Amri killed 12 ploughing into a Berlin Christmas market. Both the Westminster and London Bridge attackers in the UK began their killing sprees by running over pedestrians. Temporary steel and concrete barriers have already become common at public events in Britain's cities. Bollards and crash barriers to prevent vehicles being driven into crowds are also becoming a permanent feature of London tourist spots and have already been fitted to nine of the capital's bridges. Chief Inspector Nick Staley, of the Met's protective security operations unit, said: "This equipment undoubtedly has the potential to save lives and is just one of a number of measures being taken to provide protection to crowds attending major events in London and reassuring businesses, workers and visitors as they go about their daily lives."
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| Airline Excludes Family From Flight, Forcing Them To Pay $4000 For Tickets Posted: 10 Sep 2017 02:28 PM PDT  An airline barred a Toronto family and required them to pay an extra $4000 for extra tickets.
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| Beyoncé, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart And More Head To Houston For Harvey Relief Posted: 09 Sep 2017 02:28 PM PDT  Two weeks after Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast, celebrities are on the ground in the Houston area reaching out to victims and assisting with aid.
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| Manson cult member involved in massacre set to be released 48 years later Posted: 09 Sep 2017 12:36 PM PDT  The youngest member of the Manson cult has been approved for parole, 48 years after the notorious group carried out its killing spree. A California state panel determined that Leslie Van Houten, who is now 68, had drastically changed her life and was no longer a threat to society. The final decision on Ms Van Houten's release rests with state governor Jerry Brown, who last year rejected her parole.
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| Syrian army in race with US-armed fighters for eastern Syria Posted: 09 Sep 2017 09:45 AM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed Syrian fighters launched an offensive against the Islamic State group in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq on Saturday, bringing them into a race with government forces marching in the same direction against the extremists in their last major holdout in the war-torn country.
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| Hurricane floods leave Cubans waist-deep in water Posted: 10 Sep 2017 03:55 PM PDT  Residents of Cuba's historic capital Havana were waist-deep in floodwaters Sunday after Hurricane Irma swept by, cutting off power and forcing the evacuation of more than a million people. Wild waves were crashing over the seafront of the old colonial city after Irma ravaged Cuba's northern coast on its way to Florida. "This is catastrophic, because a lot of the buildings here are not prepared for a downpour like this," said Yanmara Suarez, standing in the street in a yellow t-shirt with water up to her ankles.
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| Trump Supporters' Attempt At Stephen King Boycott Backfires Spectacularly Posted: 10 Sep 2017 09:28 PM PDT  Fans of President Donald Trump called for a boycott of the new film "It" because of author Stephen King's relentless criticism of the president.
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| Dad Dies in Same River That Two Sons Drowned in 4 Years Ago Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:44 PM PDT  The cause of the crash is still being investigated.
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| Crimean Tatar leader jailed for stirring anti-Russia protests Posted: 11 Sep 2017 04:35 AM PDT ![Crimean Tatar leader jailed for stirring anti-Russia protests]( "Crimean Tatar leader jailed for stirring anti-Russia protests") A man who led protests against Russia's plans to annex Crimea from Ukraine was jailed for eight years in the disputed territory on Monday - a move Ukraine's president called an act of Russian repression. Crimean Tatar leader Ahtem Chiygoz was found guilty of stirring up mass disorder by calling street demonstrations in February 2014 against a referendum which later sealed Russia's seizure of the peninsula. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the jailing of Chiygoz added to the case against Russia which had already been "recognized as an occupier at the highest international level." "One can unlawfully confine someone's freedom, but it's impossible to break the will! You may occupy foreign land, but it will burn under your feet," Poroshenko said on Twitter.
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| 1st damage assessments of Florida Keys Posted: 10 Sep 2017 09:35 AM PDT  NWS meteorologist Bill South speaks with ABC News' chief anchor George Stephanopoulos about conditions in the Florida Keys.
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| Councils failing to stop people giving away cash to dodge care home fees Posted: 10 Sep 2017 12:22 AM PDT  Families are facing a care funding lottery as new figures reveal wide variations in the lengths to which councils will go to stop people giving away assets in an attempt to make the state pay instead. Local authorities means-test residents of care homes to check if they should pay towards their costs. The cut off point is £23,250 – if you have assets above this figure you are expected to fund your own care. If your assets are worth less than £23,250 the council will help to meet the costs. Average nursing home costs reached £1,000 for "self-funders" earlier this year. The spiralling cost of care has created an incentive for families to give away property, investments and savings to bring their assets below the £23,250 limit. Councils have powers to claw back money from people it can prove to have "deliberately deprived" themselves of assets to claim state aid. Yet it has long been suspected that they find it nearly impossible to prove that someone has given assets away deliberately to dodge care costs. 'I reclaimed £226,559 in care fees. Here's how you can too' Giving to children and grandchildren as a way to limit inheritance tax bills has become increasingly common. High house prices and buoyant stock markets have increased families' wealth, while the headline amount you can pass on tax free has not been increased for nearly a decade. A series of Freedom of Information requests submitted by Telegraph Money has uncovered how often councils use their powers and the amounts they have managed to claw back. Of the eight local authorities approached, North Somerset council, whose jurisdiction includes Weston-super-Mare and the outskirts of Bristol, had used its powers the most. Since 2012 it recorded 64 "deprivation" cases in relation to care funding. The total value of assets involved in the cases was £1.3m. By contrast, the London borough of Westminster had no recorded cases. This is despite the area having a similar population to North Somerset, at around 200,000, and a similar proportion of elderly residents. At a glance | Who use deprivation rules Likewise Southwark, which covers a large part of south-east London, had not used its powers at all. The north London borough of Camden had the second-highest number of cases, at 14, with a total value of £158,000 over five years. Liverpool and Hertfordshire councils refused to provide figures on the grounds of cost, while Nottingham City Council said it did not keep relevant records. Steven Cameron, a care expert at Aegon, the insurer, warned that greater scrutiny of the sector meant individuals who attempted to dodge care fees were increasingly likely to be caught by councils. "A few years ago it was highly unlikely that a council would have paid much attention to people who gave away assets to avoid paying," he said. "But with the care crisis getting worse daily and with more public interest in getting out of paying for care by giving away assets, the attention councils will pay is certain to increase considerably." Councils also take action that may not be reflected by official statistics, said Tracy Ashby a specialist legacy planner at Thursfields, the law firm. In a nutshell | How care home funding works She has seen cases in the West Midlands where instead of trying to claw back funds from families, councils simply cut off funding for care. Care homes are then left to pursue families themselves and in some cases have sought to evict patients, Ms Ashby said. The "dementia tax" Telegraph Money has reported extensively on the anomalies of the care funding system. Self-funding patients effectively subsidise those funded by councils, which set strict limits on the fees they are prepared to pay. This leaves homes in areas with few private customers battling to stay open. The Conservatives' radical plans for reforming the care system have been blamed for the party's disastrous showing in the general election. Under the plan, councils would have started to pick up the tab for care costs once a person's assets fell below £100,000, as opposed to the current level of £23,250 in England. But, crucially, family homes would also have been included in the means-testing formula for "at home" care for the first time. At the same time, the plan for a lifetime cap – which would have helped those who needed long periods of care – was dropped. The Tories quickly backtracked over the latter, which Labour called the "dementia tax". How to connect with us | Telegraph Money on social media
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| Miss North Dakota Cara Mund Is Crowned State's First-Ever Miss America Posted: 10 Sep 2017 09:57 PM PDT  For the first time in the competition's history, Miss North Dakota was crowned Miss America 2018.
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| The Latest: People grilling before fatal shooting at home Posted: 11 Sep 2017 04:40 AM PDT  PLANO, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the deaths of at least eight people, including the suspect, after a shooting at a Texas home (all times local):
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| Road over landslide on famous US highway to cost $40 million Posted: 09 Sep 2017 06:40 PM PDT ![Road over landslide on famous US highway to cost $40 million]( "Road over landslide on famous US highway to cost $40 million") BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — A plan to build a road over a massive t landslide that closed the world-famous scenic California coastal highway leading to Big Sur will cost about $40 million, state officials said.
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| Irma: Astronaut's extraordinary photos from space show colossal scale of hurricane Posted: 10 Sep 2017 04:12 AM PDT  An astronaut is sharing pictures showing the magnitude of Hurricane Irma, the fierce Atlantic storm which has devastated parts of the Caribbean and is bearing down on Florida. Randy Bresnik has been able to track Irma's progress from the International Space Station. The hurricane reached Florida on Sunday morning.
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| Miss Texas Tears Into Trump In A Blistering 15-Second Takedown On Live TV Posted: 11 Sep 2017 12:23 AM PDT  .@MissAmericaTX is up next and she will be answering a question from @MrJessCagle.
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| China eyes petrol car ban, boosting electric vehicles Posted: 11 Sep 2017 03:00 AM PDT  China is gearing up to ban petrol and diesel cars, a move that would boost electric vehicles and shake up the world's biggest car market in a country that is plagued by pollution. The government did not give a date for the ban, but the announcement drove up the shares of automakers and lithium battery makers in Asia, with Chinese electric car leader BYD closing 4.07 percent up in Shenzhen and Toyota up 1.22 percent in Tokyo. Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, told a weekend forum in the northern city of Tianjin that his ministry has started "relevant research" and is working on a timetable for China.
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