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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Joshua Boyle, his American wife and their children endured a long captivity in Afghanistan before they were rescued last fall and returned to Canada. Now he’s facing 15 charges including sexual assault, forcible confinement and administering a noxious drug.

Boyle, his wife Caitlan and their three children were freed in October in Pakistan, five years after the couple was abducted by a Taliban-linked militant group while on a backpacking trip in neighboring Afghanistan. The children were born in captivity.  Continue reading “Ex-hostage Boyle charged with sex assault, confinement”

Mail.com

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration would consider immigration legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young people, the U.S. Homeland Security secretary said Tuesday, while emphasizing no decision on that issue has been made and a border wall remains the priority.

Congress is considering three options, including citizenship or permanent legal status for people who were temporarily shielded from deportation, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in an interview. Details on qualifying for citizenship, including on how many years to wait and other requirements, would have to be addressed.   Continue reading “Homeland chief: Wait and see on citizenship for immigrants”

RT

US corporations have been using asbestos despite evidence it causes cancer in workers, and millions of dollars are being spent on lobbying to cover this up, according to Farron Cousins, executive editor of Trial Lawyer magazine.

Asbestos has been used all over the world for more than 100 years in all types of manufacturing, from insulation to paper products. Its use in America is now back on the rise in spite of decades of evidence proving that the substance can lead to death.   Continue reading “‘US industrial giants would rather let workers die than stop using asbestos’ – legal magazine editor”

RT

At least 9 people were killed and some 100 were arrested overnight as unrest across Iran entered a sixth day, Iranian media said. The country’s supreme leader accused “enemies of Iran” of orchestrating the demonstrations.

Among those killed were six protesters who had attempted to steal guns from a police station in the town of Qahdarijan, Iranian state TV said, as cited by AP. Another two people were killed in the town of Khomeinishahr, and the ninth fatality was a member of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the town of Najafabad.   Continue reading “9 more people killed, 100 arrested overnight as nationwide protests in Iran continue – local media”

Mail.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers will grapple for the first time as a group with a growing sexual misconduct scandal when they return to Sacramento on Wednesday. The 2018 legislative year will bring debates over legislation to boost protections for victims and people who report sexual misconduct, as well as both chambers’ continued efforts to improve their own policies for handling misconduct.

On the very first day back, the Senate must confront how to handle one of its members, Sen. Tony Mendoza, a Democrat who has refused calls to step aside amid an investigation into his alleged inappropriate behavior toward young women who worked for him.   Continue reading “California lawmakers to confront sexual misconduct scandal”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top American commander for the Middle East wants a more aggressive Afghan military pressuring Taliban and other insurgents over the normally quieter months of Afghanistan’s winter, and then quickly going on the offensive in the spring. It’s all part of a plan the United States hopes will change the course of a war now entering its 17th year.

Gen. Joseph Votel of U.S. Central Command said an influx of new American trainers can help escalate the fight. They’ll be operating with Afghan units, closer to the front lines and at greater risk, but Votel said U.S. commanders will ensure American and allied forces have adequate protection.   Continue reading “Top US commander wants more aggressive Afghan push this year”

RT

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday’s blast in a St. Petersburg store was a terrorist attack. Thirteen people were injured when an improvised explosive device went off in the busy supermarket.

Six people are still in hospital after the explosion in St. Petersburg, the city’s deputy governor Anna Mityanina tweeted on Thursday. The condition of five of the eight victims is of intermediate severity, and the rest are said to be in a satisfactory condition.  Continue reading “Putin: Wednesday’s blast in St. Petersburg store a terrorist attack”

Mail.com

PINE VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — California legalizes marijuana for recreational use Monday, but that won’t stop federal agents from seizing the drug — even in tiny amounts — on busy freeways and backcountry highways.

Marijuana possession still will be prohibited at eight Border Patrol checkpoints in California, a reminder that state and federal laws collide when it comes to pot. The U.S. government classifies marijuana as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD.  Continue reading “As California legalizes pot, laws collide at US checkpoints”

Mail.com

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Goodhearted neighbors heartbroken over the rising number of homeless in their communities are feeding and showering those in need, hoping to make a difference. But some question whether they’re doing more harm than good by helping the homeless get some of their most basic needs met outdoors.

The debate over how to help is raging up and down communities on the West Coast that are grappling with a rise in homelessness. In California’s Orange County, neighbors say they believe the assistance is drawing more homeless to a riverbed encampment in Anaheim and a nightly meal for the poor at a state beach in Dana Point.  Continue reading “Food, showers, tents: Does the help help the homeless?”

Mail.com

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma, a state with one of the busiest death chambers in the country in recent decades, will enter its third year without an execution in 2018 while prison officials and state attorneys fine tune its procedure for putting condemned inmates to death.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said last week he was planning to meet with top prison officials and that he expected more clarity on the state’s new lethal injection protocols “in the next two or three weeks.”   Continue reading “Once busy Oklahoma death chamber stays quiet into 3rd year”

RT

US crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) hit $60 per barrel for the first time since June 2015. The oil market is continuing its steady recovery since the price crash three years ago.

Brent crude was trading at $66.80 per barrel on Wednesday, down 22 cents after breaking through the $67 level for the first time since May 2015. WTI dropped just below the $60 mark it reached in the previous session.   Continue reading “Oil hovering near 2.5-yr high as investors remain bullish”

Mail.com

PHOENIX (AP) — A man accused in the Christmas day shooting of his estranged wife and their two children was held without bail Tuesday on three counts of first-degree murder following an afternoon of violence that culminated in a night-time shootout with police officers.

Maricopa County Superior Court records filed Tuesday show Anthony Milan Ross, 45, was also charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and assault against a police officer in the Monday afternoon mayhem.   Continue reading “Man held in Phoenix killings of estranged wife, 2 kids”

Mail.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A disgruntled postal worker accused of fatally shooting his supervisor at an Ohio post office and then killing a postmaster outside her apartment is scheduled to be arraigned on charges including aggravated murder.

Municipal court records listed no attorney for 24-year-old DeShaune Stewart, of Columbus, ahead of his Wednesday arraignment. Police say Stewart was naked during both attacks. They say he first killed 52-year-old Lance Dempsey at a post office in suburban Dublin early Saturday morning.   Continue reading “Postal worker to be arraigned in slayings of 2 colleagues”

RT

The leading cryptocurrency bitcoin once again passed the $15,000 mark on Tuesday. It has been recovering from last week’s sell-off, which sent prices below $11,000 after the $20,000 record.

Bitcoin was trading at $15,500 on Tuesday, up almost nine percent. Its market cap reached $260 billion with its share of the cryptocurrency market sliding to 44 percent, according to Coinmarketcap.   Continue reading “Bitcoin recovers from brutal sell-off that wiped out nearly half its value”

RT

In the West, at least, everyone has become massively aware of the extent of coercion and exploitation in sexual relations.

However, we should bear in mind also the (no less significant) fact that millions of people on a daily basis flirt and play the game of seduction, with the clear aim of finding a partner for making love. The result of the modern Western culture is that both sexes are expected to play an active role in this game.   Continue reading “Sign a contract before sex? Political correctness could destroy passion”

Mail.com

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The handgun that Shaneen Allen was carrying when she was pulled over on a New Jersey highway could have sent her to prison for years if not for a pardon from Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

Now the legal saga that kept the Pennsylvania mother of two in jail for 48 days has helped inspire a measure that could change handgun laws across the country. “Hopefully I’ll be at the White House next to (President) Trump signing this bill,” said Allen, who has become a face of the Republican effort to break down barriers to carrying concealed firearms between states. “Republicans put their money where their mouth was.”   Continue reading “Pardoned by Christie, woman pushes for change to US gun laws”

Mail.com

The U.S. government says it has negotiated a significant cut in the United Nations budget. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.’s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million. The mission said reductions would also be made to the U.N.’s management and support functions.  Continue reading “US says it negotiated $285M cut in United Nations budget”

Mail.com

ATLANTA (AP) — More than 25 years after being locked away for a killing their lawyers say they didn’t commit, three former soldiers are free on bail and preparing to go home to spend the holidays with their families.

Mark Jason Jones, Kenneth Eric Gardiner and Dominic Brian Lucci were in their early 20s when they were convicted of murder in the Jan. 31, 1992, slaying of Stanley Jackson in Savannah, Georgia. Prosecutors said the crime was racially motivated. The three former soldiers are white, and Jackson was black.   Continue reading “Ex-soldiers get bail in murder case after 25 years in prison”

Mail.com

SYDNEY (AP) — The family of an Australian woman who was fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer in July demanded a more rigorous probe Thursday after a prosecutor cast doubts on the investigation. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman faulted investigators last week when he complained that he doesn’t have enough evidence to charge Officer Mohamed Noor in the killing of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Noor shot Damond in the alley behind her home after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault.   Continue reading “Slain Australian’s family demands integrity in US probe”

RT

Newsweek has again proven that if the Kremlin really wants to discredit Western media, all it needs to do is translate articles about Russia from the mainstream press and distribute them free of charge across the country.

Halloween may have been almost two months ago, but Newsweek has held back the horror until Christmas: “PUTIN is PREPARING for WORLD WAR III… YEAH, THAT’S BAD NEWS,” it bellows in its latest cover story, with capital letters sprinkled around to make things extra scary.   Continue reading “Newsweek’s claim Putin is planning World War 3 is completely fake”