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MH370 anniversary: Malaysia remains committed to finding missing plane

Diane A. Wade
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MH370 anniversary: Malaysia remains committed to finding missing plane

Malaysia remains committed to finding flight MH370, said PM Najib Razak on the first anniversary of its disappearance.

Relatives of the 239 missing passengers and crew are holding a series of remembrance ceremonies.

The Malaysian airliner was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished on March 8, 2014. No trace has ever been found.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has released its official report into the disappearance of flight MH370.

The report contains masses of technical information about the missing aircraft, its maintenance record, the background of the crew, and the various air traffic control and military radar tracking records of the plane.

It appears to offer no significant new information which might explain where the plane went, or what happened to it.

“No words can describe the pain the families of those on board are going through. The lack of answers and definitive proof – such as aircraft wreckage – has made this more difficult to bear,” said Najib Razak in a statement.

He added that the search team had followed the “little evidence that exists” but remained “hopeful” that the plane would be found.MH370 anniversary 2015

The international search team is focusing on an area of the southern Indian Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles off the coast of western Australia.

Earlier on Sunday, the families of MH370 crew members held a remembrance ceremony at the house of missing in-flight supervisor Patrick Gomez.

“We’re always thinking exactly what happened on that day itself, you know the conversations that we were having, the tears, the hugs that we were giving each other,” said his wife, Jacquita Gonzales.

The event has not been billed as a commemoration ceremony because many family members still believe that their loved ones are alive.

The search team is due to release an interim report about MH370 later today.

Earlier, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that he was confident that the plane would be found in the southern Indian Ocean.

Liow Tiong Lai promised his government would continue to back the search and said he was confident they could complete the search operation “hopefully by May this year”.

He told AFP that investigators would go “back to the drawing board” if the search failed to yield results by May.

Some families of those on board the plane have accused the Malaysian authorities of hiding some information, but the transport minister urged them not to believe the conspiracy theories.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian government declared flight MH370 to have been lost with all on board, in a move it said was necessary to start processing compensation claims for the families.

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Barack Obama delivers Selma 50th anniversary speech at Edmond Pettus Bridge

Diane A. Wade
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Barack Obama delivers Selma 50th anniversary speech at Edmond Pettus Bridge

President Barack Obama has paid tributes to the “heroes” who took part in the Selma civil rights march in Alabama 50 years ago.

Barack Obama delivered a speech commemorating “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, 1965, when security forces attacked black demonstrators in the city.

The president said the marchers, who were campaigning for equal voting rights, had “given courage to millions”.

First Lady Michelle Obama and about 100 members of Congress also attended the event.

“Because of what they did, the doors of opportunity swung open not just for African-Americans, but for every American,” Barack Obama said, standing in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge where the violence took place.

A crowd of some 40,000 people watched as Barack Obama and his family led a symbolic walk across part of the bridge, accompanied by those who had made the march in 1965.

Police beat and used tear gas on demonstrators as they made their way over the crossing, on a day that became known as “Bloody Sunday”.

That event, and a follow-up march from Selma to Montgomery two weeks later, helped build momentum for approval of the Voting Rights Act by Congress later that year.Barack Obama Selma speech Edmond Pettus Bridge

The legislation, pushed by President Lyndon Johnson, removed all barriers preventing African-Americans from registering as voters.

Barack Obama reminded the American public that despite progress the fight against racism was not over.

He addressed the recent police killings of unarmed black men and teenagers, which had triggered protests in several US cities.

“This nation’s long racial history still casts its long shadow upon us. We know the march is not yet over, the race is not yet won,” he said.

Barack Obama’s comments followed demonstrations in the northern state of Wisconsin on March 6, triggered by reports that a black man had been shot by a police officer.

The 19-year-old, identified as Tony Robinson, was unarmed according to police. It is alleged he assaulted the officer before shots were fired.

Barack Obama also condemned new attempts by state governments to restrict voting rights.

“Right now, in 2015, 50 years after Selma, there are laws across this country designed to make it harder for people to vote. As we speak, more of such laws are being proposed,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the Voting Rights Act, the culmination of so much blood and sweat and tears… stands weakened, its future subject to partisan rancor.”

Georgia congressman John Lewis, a Democrat who was among those injured in the violence 50 years ago, also addressed the crowd of more than 40,000.

He said: “I want to thank each and every one of you who marched across the bridge on Bloody Sunday. You didn’t have to do but you did.

“Six hundred people marched into history. We were so peaceful, so quiet. No-one saying a word.

“We were beaten, tear gassed, some of us were left bloody here on this bridge. But we never became bitter or hostile.”

President George W. Bush – who was in office between 2001 and 2009 – also took part in the commemorations.

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Abubakar Shekau announces Boko Haram joins ISIS

Roy Siemens
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Abubakar Shekau announces Boko Haram joins ISIS

According to an audio statement, Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS).

The message, which has not be verified, was posted on the Nigerian militant group’s Twitter account and appeared to be by Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau.

Boko Haram began a military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009. The conflict has since spread to neighboring states.

It would be the latest in a series of groups to swear allegiance to ISIS.

Photo AFP/Getty Images
Photo AFP/Getty Images

Boko Haram’s insurgency has threatened Nigeria’s territorial integrity and triggered a humanitarian crisis.

The militant group has carried out frequent bombings that have left thousands dead and has also attacked targets in the capital, Abuja.

ISIS has forged links with other militant groups across North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

In November 2014, ISIS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi accepted pledges of allegiance from jihadists in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In January 2015, militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan announced that they were forming an ISIS province.

Women On 20’s group campaigns to put woman on $20 bill

Clyde K. Valle
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Women On 20’s group campaigns to put woman on $20 bill

As women are absent on American currency, “Women On 20s” group is trying to change that through a campaign aiming to see one of 15 female American history-makers on the $20 bill.

The group says President Barack Obama would merely need to instruct the Treasury secretary to change how bills are printed to immortalize the contributions of women to American society.

Women On 20’s explained why the $20 bill. One reason is that the new bill would help commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2020 of the constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote.Women on 20s campaign

Additionally, the $20 bill’s current resident – former President Andrew Jackson – doesn’t have the best reputation, military achievements aside, given the mass migration of Native Americans implemented during his presidency.

Women On 20s would like to see on the $20 bill is Sojourner Truth, a slave who became an outspoken abolitionist; Clara Barton, a Civil War nurse and American Red Cross founder; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who kick-started the women’s suffrage movement with the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention; and Frances Perkins, who as labor secretary helped bring about some of the most important policies of President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration.

The campaign supporters can vote for their favorite women in a primary round that will narrow it down to three candidates before a final vote.

Dirk Shafer found dead in his car in West Hollywood

Lisa.Felice
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Dirk Shafer found dead in his car in West Hollywood

Man Of The Year filmmaker Dirk Shafer has died at the age of 52.Dirk Shafer dead at 52

Model, actor and fitness trainer Dirk Shafer was found dead in his car on March 5 in West Hollywood, according law enforcement officials.

An autopsy likely will be performed in the next few days, sources say. Police identified Dirk Shafer by his driver’s license and his family has been notified.

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Nelson Shanks painted Monica Lewinsky reference in Bill Clinton’s official presidential portrait

Sonia Pantiss
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Nelson Shanks painted Monica Lewinsky reference in Bill Clinton’s official presidential portrait

Nelson Shanks, who painted the portrait of President Bill Clinton that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, revealed he included a reference to Monica Lewinsky in the official painting.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Nelson Shanks said he included a shadow over the fireplace cast from a blue dress on a mannequin.

Nelson Shanks said painting Bill Clinton was his hardest assignment because “he is probably the most famous liar of all time”. So he added the nod to the Lewinsky scandal because it had cast a shadow over Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Photo Flickr
Photo Flickr

“He and his administration did some very good things, of course, but I could never get this Monica thing completely out of my mind, and it is subtly incorporated in the painting,” the painter said.

Nelson Shanks told the Daily News: “If you look at the left-hand side of it there’s a mantel in the Oval Office and I put a shadow coming into the painting and it does two things. It actually literally represents a shadow from a blue dress that I had on a mannequin, that I had there while I was painting it, but not when he was there. It is also a bit of a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held, or on him.”

The artist did not reveal this nine years ago when the portrait was unveiled.

Nelson Shanks alluded in the interview with the Daily News that Bill and Hillary Clinton are aware of the symbolism in the painting.

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Greece could hire non-professional tax inspectors to tackle evasion

Clyde K. Valle
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Greece could hire non-professional tax inspectors to tackle evasion

According to a leaked document, the Greek government could hire “non-professional” tax inspectors, including tourists, to spy on tax evaders.

Students and housewives could also be used as part of the reported scheme to tackle fraud, which could include hidden cameras and recording devices.

It is said to be one of the ideas Greece will raise at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers on March 9.

Greece needs to convince them it is serious about reform to receive further credit.

Eurozone leaders want to extend help on Greece’s €240 billion ($272 billion) bailout until the end of June in return for commitments to further reform.

The leaked document, a letter reportedly sent by Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis to Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem, was seen by the Financial Times and AFP.Greece tax evasion 2015

“The culture of tax avoidance runs deep within Greek society,” the letter reportedly says.

“Tax authorities are not only understaffed but immersed in the logic of book-checking when the real problem lies off the books.”

Informal tax inspectors would be hired on a “strictly short-term casual basis – no longer than two months and without any prospect of being rehired”.

Yanis Varoufakis is quoted as saying that the very news that there were thousands of casual onlookers carrying spying equipment on behalf of the tax authorities could shift attitudes quickly.

The amateur inspectors would be able to go to places traditional tax inspectors would be wary of visiting such as nightclubs and medical facilities, he added.

Other proposals reportedly include taxing online gambling, streamlining the bureaucracy and activating an existing plan for an independent watchdog to monitor government fiscal policy.

The new government also wants to spend more money to help those who have been hardest hit by Greece’s long recession.

Barack Obama joins Selma march 50 years after Bloody Sunday

Diane A. Wade
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Barack Obama joins Selma march 50 years after Bloody Sunday

President Barack Obama has attended the events celebrating the 50th anniversary of a landmark civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Barack Obama will deliver a speech to mark “Bloody Sunday” in March 1965, when security forces attacked demonstrators.

First Lady Michelle Obama and about 100 members of Congress are also due to attend.

Afterwards Barack and Michelle Obama will join marchers in a recreation of a walk on a bridge that was severely repressed.Selma march 1965

Police beat and used tear gas on demonstrators at the foot of Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965.

That event, and a march from Selma to Montgomery two weeks later, helped build momentum for approval of the Voting Rights Act by Congress later that year.

The legislation, pushed by President Lyndon Johnson, removed all barriers preventing African Americans from registering as voters.

President George W. Bush – who was in office between 2001 and 2009 – is also expected to take part in the commemorations.

Georgia congressman John Lewis, a Democrat who was among those injured in the violence 50 years ago, is also attending.

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ISIS destroys ancient city of Hatra in Iraq

James J. Williams
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ISIS destroys ancient city of Hatra in Iraq

ISIS militants have begun destroying the ruins of the ancient city of Hatra in Iraq, Kurdish sources say.

Hatra was founded in the days of the Parthian Empire over 2,000 years ago and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Earlier this week, ISIS militants began bulldozing the nearby ruins of the Assyrian city of Nimrud.

ISIS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, says shrines and statues are “false idols” that have to be smashed.

It not yet clear how extensive any damage might have been.

Hatra, located about 68 miles south-west of Mosul, was a fortified city that withstood invasions by the Romans thanks to its thick walls reinforced by towers.ISIS destroyed Hatra

Said Mamuzini, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) local official, told Kurdish media that IS militants had started destroying the site.

“The city of Hatra is very big and many artifacts of that era were protected inside the site,” he said, adding that the militants had already taken away gold and silver.

There is no independent confirmation of the destruction.

Reports of the bulldozer attack in Nimrud, an Assyrian city founded in the 13th Century BC, emerged on March 5.

On March 6, UNESCO head Irina Bokova condemned the “cultural cleansing” in Iraq as a “war crime”.

“There is absolutely no political or religious justification for the destruction of humanity’s cultural heritage.”

The Parthian Empire was a major political and cultural force in ancient Iran. At the height of its power in the second century AD, it extended from modern-day Pakistan to Syria.

Hatra later flourished under Arab rulers, and became a major trading-post on the Silk Road across the Asian continent.

Jodi Arias verdict: Holdout juror given security after name was leaked online

Nancy Clayson
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Jodi Arias verdict: Holdout juror given security after name was leaked online

Juror Emily Cova, who voted to spare the life of convicted murderer Jodi Arias, was given security after her name was leaked in social media on March 6.

No threats had been reported against any of the 12 jurors, authorities said. However, the lone holdout on the death penalty had requested the security after her name was posted on social media.

Prosecutors also said they are examining whether the holdout disclosed that her husband had been prosecuted by the same county attorney who headed the case against Jodi Arias.

Jodi Arias was convicted of murder in 2013 but that jury deadlocked on her punishment.

Prosecutors say Jodi Arias killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander as revenge because he wanted to date other women and was planning a trip to Mexico with his latest love interest.

The name of the holdout juror in the sentencing retrial was leaked through a Twitter account that also posted sympathetic comments about Jodi Arias’ victim Travis Alexander.Jodi Arias trial holdout juror

Meanwhile, a pro-Arias website published names of 11 people it said were the jurors who voted to sentence Jodi Arias to death for the 2008 killing.

A mistrial was declared on March 5 and a judge will sentence Jodi Arias on April 13 to life in prison or life with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Arizona law prohibits the public release of juror names. It’s unknown how the identities were leaked, but information appeared online after jurors who favored the death penalty expressed frustrations over the holdout.

Juror Emily Cova said she was relieved to hear that authorities were looking into the leak.

“I was a little nervous last night. But I’m feeling better now,” said Emily Cova, who agreed to be named.

Aaron Nash, a spokesman for the clerk of Maricopa County Superior Court, said no member of the clerk’s staff reported being approached by anyone seeking the names of jurors.

“The office’s primary concerns are the safety and privacy of these individuals who responded to this difficult and lengthy call to public service,” Aaron Nash said in a statement.

Most of the jurors discussed their deliberations with the media on March 5. However, the holdout hasn’t publicly commented.

Jodi Arias will remain in the Estrella Jail in west Phoenix as she testifies in a civil case. Further information on the matter wasn’t immediately available.

Once her testimony is complete, Jodi Arias will be sent to prison.

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Weight loss and letrozole boost male fertility

Kathryn R. Bown
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Weight loss and letrozole boost male fertility

Two approaches to boosting obese men’s fertility have been presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.

The first suggested that obese men who lost weight were more likely get their partners pregnant.

The second found that letrozole, a cancer drug, helped some infertile men have children.

Experts said the approaches were interesting alternatives to IVF and were opening up “real possibilities” for men.

Weight loss is already widely advised for women struggling to conceive and obesity has long been suspected as a factor in male infertility.

A research team at the University of Sherbrooke in Canada conducted the first study to help men lose weight and see if it improved the chances of conception.Weight loss and male fertility

In 65 couples who had been referred to a fertility clinic, the men were sent to weekly group sessions on nutrition and physical activity for a year.

The study showed the men who conceived were those who had lost the most weight.

The research group said they were “thrilled” by the results.

One of the researchers, Dr. Jean-Patrice Baillargeon, said: “This is the first prospective study suggesting that male partners who improve their weight also increase the odds for the couple to conceive.”

The second study focused on the chemical letrozole, which has been used in breast cancer and as a fertility treatment in women.

Letrozole can stop testosterone being broken down into oestrogen.

Trials took place on 12 men who had developed hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, a form of infertility, as a result of their obesity.

Two were able to have babies after being infertile for at least three years.

Dr. Lena Salgado, from the University of Montreal, said: “Letrozole is a very attractive fertility treatment with obesity-related hypogonadism.”

Under the Dome: China takes anti-pollution documentary offline

Nancy Clayson
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Under the Dome: China takes anti-pollution documentary offline

Chinese authorities have a removed from websites Under the Dome, a popular documentary which highlights China’s severe pollution problem.

Under the Dome explains the social and health costs of pollution, and was watched by more than 100 million people online, sparking debates.

It was removed just two days after Premier Li Keqiang called pollution a blight on people’s lives.

Li Keqiang had promised to fight it with all the government’s might.

The environmental issue has dominated the current session of the Chinese parliament, the National People’s Congress, in Beijing.

The newly appointed environmental protection minister, Chen Jining, had praised Under The Dome, telling reporters it should “encourage efforts by individuals to improve air quality”.China pollution documentary Under the Dome

The huge popularity of an impassioned, independent film on the issue appears to have made the communist authorities nervous, correspondents say.

Under the Dome, a year-long investigation of pollution in China, had garnered more than 100 million views in less than 48 hours.

Made by renowned investigative journalist Chai Jing and funded with her own money, the film sharply criticizes the Chinese state’s lax environmental laws.

Standing in front of an audience in a simple white shirt and jeans, Chai Jing speaks plainly throughout the 103-minute video, which features a year-long investigation of China’s noxious pollution problem.

At times, the documentary is deeply personal. Near the start of the documentary, Chai Jing interviews a 6-year-old living in the coal-mining province of Shanxi, one of the most polluted places on earth.

“Have you ever seen stars?” Chai Jing asks.

“No,” replies the girl.

“Have you ever seen a blue sky?”

“I have seen a sky that’s a little bit blue,” the girl tells her.

“But have you ever seen white clouds?”

“No,” the girl sighs.

As of March 7, Under the Dome was no longer available on popular Chinese mainland video sites.

A link on the Youku website that previously led to the video now prompts the message: “We’re very sorry, Youku was unable to find the page you requested.”

China operates the world’s most formidable online censorship machine, known as the Great Firewall.

Some social media users in China voiced frustration at the removal of the film.

Under the Dome is still available on YouTube with English subtitles.

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Boris Nemtsov murder: Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev detained over killing of Russian opposition politician

Diane A. Wade
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Boris Nemtsov murder: Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev detained over killing of Russian opposition politician

Russian authorities have arrested two men over the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced.

Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev were detained on March 7, FSB director Alexander Bortnikov said, speaking on national television.

President Vladimir Putin has been informed of their detention, Alexander Bortnikov added.Boris Nemtsov murder 2015

Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, 55, was shot dead on the night of February 27 as he was walking on the street with his girlfriend.

He was buried in Moscow on March 3.

Russia’s leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny accused the Kremlin of ordering the assassination in order to cow the opposition amid Russia’s mounting economic problems.

President Vladimir Putin publicly condemned the murder of Boris Nemtsov and called for an end to “shameful” political killings in Russia.

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Venezuela food shortage: UNASUR countries promise help

Diane A. Wade
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Venezuela food shortage: UNASUR countries promise help

Venezuela will get help to overcome an ongoing shortage of food, medicine and other products, foreign ministers from 12 South American nations gathering in Caracas have promised.

The regional UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) bloc agreed with President Nicolas Maduro to provide items that have gone missing from many Venezuelan supermarkets.

The shortage of staples has contributed to popular discontent.

UNASUR highlighted the importance of safeguarding democratic stability.

“The idea is to get all the countries to support the distribution of staples,” said Ernesto Samper, Secretary-General of UNASUR.UNASUR Venezuela food shortage

“We will work together with the Venezuelan authorities to strengthen the distribution networks in our countries so they help Venezuela,” the Colombian said.

Ernesto Samper criticized recent anti-government protests in Venezuela that descended into violence.

The opposition must “express its opinions in a democratic, peaceful and lawful manner,” said Ernesto Samper.

The UNASUR ministers will meet opposition leaders and government officials in the next few days to seek guarantees that Venezuela will be able to hold free and fair elections later this year.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles told the AFP on March 3 that Nicolas Maduro could cancel the vote, which is scheduled for the second half of this year.

“The government had never had such a large deficit [in the polls] heading into an election. Now it does. How does it change that? It rigs the game,” said Henrique Capriles.

Nicolas Maduro said the elections would go ahead as planned.

He has recently accused the opposition and the United States of plotting a coup against his government.

The mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, was arrested last month and has been charged with conspiracy.

Nicolas Maduro accuses Venezuela’s business elite of boycotting his government.

Last month, owners of several chains of supermarkets of drugstores were arrested for allegedly artificially creating long queues.

They reduced the number of employees working on cash tills in order to create queues and “annoy the Venezuelan people”, said Nicolas Maduro.

The economic crisis in Venezuela has been made worse by falling oil prices in international markets.

The Venezuelan opposition blames the socialist policies of the past 16 years for the crisis.

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Senator Robert Menendez faces federal corruption charges

Diane A. Wade
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Senator Robert Menendez faces federal corruption charges

According to US media reports, the Department of Justice is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.

Robert Menendez is alleged to have used his New Jersey office to promote the interests of a Democratic donor, in exchange for gifts.

Attorney General Eric Holder has reportedly given prosecutors permission to proceed with charges.

Senator Robert Menendez has labeled the probe a smear campaign.

“I am not going anywhere,” he said on March 6 at a press conference in New Jersey.

“Let me very clear, very clear. I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law.”Senator Robert Menendez faces federal corruption charges

An official announcement from prosecutors is expected in the coming weeks.

Robert Menendez is one of the highest-ranking Hispanic members of Congress and a former chairman of the Senate’s foreign relations committee.

He is also one of President Barack Obama’s strongest opponents on lifting the embargo on Cuba and negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program.

For the past two years, Robert Menendez has faced an investigation into his relationship with friend and donor Dr. Salomon Melgen, following accusations that he paid for underage prostitutes for the senator in the Dominican Republic.

Senator Robert Menendez vehemently disputed the claims and the allegations were eventually withdrawn.

FBI officials continued to look into the ties between the two men and the scrutiny shifted to whether Senator Robert Menendez had traded gifts for official duties.

On March 6, Robert Menendez said that he had known Dr. Salomon Melgen for more than two decades and that their families had been “real friends”.

According to CNN, the government’s case focuses in part on plane trips Robert Menendez took in 2010 to the Dominican Republic as a guest of Dr. Salomon Melgen.

Prosecutors also are examining what role the senator played in helping Dr. Salomon Melgen secure a deal to sell port screening equipment to the government of the Dominican Republic.

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John Brennan orders CIA major reshuffle

Diane A. Wade
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John Brennan orders CIA major reshuffle

CIA chief John O. Brennan has ordered a major overhaul of the spy agency.

In a memo to staff, the CIA director said that the changes were driven by a wider range of threats and the impact of technological advancements.

The reforms aim to impose greater accountability on managers and to improve cyber capabilities.

The biggest change is the breakdown of the division between operators and analysts.

Historically, those who run operations and those who interpret the intelligence they gather have been kept separate in different divisions and offices.

Under the new plans they would brought together in 10 “Mission Centers”, each run by an assistant director.

There are a handful of such facilities at the moment, including the Counter Terrorism Centre, where analysts and operators have worked side by side for the past decade.John Brennan CIA overhaul

In his memo to staff, John Brennan highlighted the dangers presented by cyber terrorism, but also the opportunities that technological advancement offered the agency.

He called on the CIA to “embrace and leverage the digital revolution” and announced the creation of the Directorate of Digital Innovation.

John Brennan told reporters that the cell-like nature of the agency often meant that there was no one person he could hold accountable for a spying mission.

“There are a lot of areas that I would like to have better insight to, better information about, better access to,” John Brennan said.

Correspondents say the changes are a result of increasing concerns that the CIA’s focus on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks has blunted its abilities to deal with other threats.

The move to greater accountability comes after John Brennan admitted that some officers had acted beyond their authority following a 2014 Senate report that criticized the agency’s use of enhanced interrogation methods.

Responding to the report, John Brennan admitted that some of the methods were “abhorrent” but defended the CIA’s record.

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Dawn spacecraft becomes first mission to orbit dwarf planet Ceres

James J. Williams
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Dawn spacecraft becomes first mission to orbit dwarf planet Ceres

NASA’s Dawn mission has gone into orbit around Ceres, the largest object in the Solar System between Mars and Jupiter.

A signal from the satellite confirming Dawn’s status was received by ground stations at 13:36 GMT.

Ceres is the first of the dwarf planets to be visited by a spacecraft.

Scientists hope to glean information from the object that can tell them about the Solar System’s beginnings, four and a half billion years ago.

Dawn has taken 7.5 years to reach its destination. Its arrival has seen it pass behind the dwarf to its “dark side”.

Over the next month, controllers will re-shape the orbit to get it ready to begin the prime science phase in late April.

Over time, the intention is to progressively lower the orbit until the probe is just a few hundred km above the surface. By that stage, it will be returning very high resolution pictures.Dawn mission Ceres orbit

“We feel exhilarated,” said Chris Russell, the mission’s principal investigator from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“We have much to do over the next year and a half, but we are now on station with ample reserves, and a robust plan to obtain our science objectives.”

The satellite has turned up at Ceres having previously visited asteroid Vesta.

Both objects reside in the belt of rocky debris that circles the Sun beyond Mars.

Researchers think Ceres’ interior is dominated by a rocky core topped by ice that is then insulated by rocky lag deposits at the surface.

A big question Dawn mission hopes to answer is whether there is a liquid ocean of water at depth. Some models suggest there could well be.

The evidence will probably be found in Ceres’ craters which have a muted look to them. That is, the soft interior of Ceres has undoubtedly had the effect of relaxing the craters’ original hard outline.

One big talking point has dominated the approach to the object: the origin and nature of two very bright spots seen inside a 92km-wide crater in the Northern Hemisphere.

The speculation is that Ceres has been struck by something, exposing deeply buried ices.

These will have vaporized on the airless world, perhaps leaving behind highly reflective salts.

The Dawn mission is expected to work at the dwarf planet for at least 14 months.

While Dawn takes the honor of being the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet, the next opportunity comes very quickly.

NASA’s New Horizons probe is due to make a close flyby of Pluto in July.

This far-more distant world was demoted from full planet to dwarf status at an international astronomy meeting in 2006.

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Edward Snowden appeals for Switzerland asylum

Diane A. Wade
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Edward Snowden appeals for Switzerland asylum

Edward Snowden says he would love to get asylum in Switzerland.

The fugitive US whistleblower was speaking via video link to a Geneva audience, from Moscow where he is sheltering from US prosecutors.

“I would love to return to Switzerland, some of my favorite memories are from Geneva,” Edward Snowden said. Previously he worked in Geneva undercover for the CIA.

Edward Snowden, wanted for leaking US secrets, said US authorities had given him no assurances of a fair trial.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

“The only thing they’ve said at this point was that they would not execute me,” he said.

“That’s not quite the same thing as agreeing to a fair and open trial.”

He was speaking to the audience after a viewing of Citizenfour, an Oscar-winning documentary about his case. In 2013 his exposure of massive US surveillance – including routine tapping of internet traffic – grabbed the headlines worldwide.

It was an unprecedented leak by an insider in the top-secret US National Security Agency (NSA).

“I do think Switzerland would be a sort of great political option because it has a history of neutrality,” Edward Snowden told the Geneva audience.

Edward Snowden said he had requested asylum in 21 countries, most in Central and Eastern Europe, but none had granted his wish. He blamed US “political interference”.

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Harrison Ford plane crash: Doctor at the scene feared fireball

Nancy Clayson
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Harrison Ford plane crash: Doctor at the scene feared fireball

Dr. Sanjay Khurana, who pulled Harrison Ford from the wreck of a plane crash, has described how he feared a fireball from the aircraft’s leaking fuel.

The spine surgeon was playing golf in Los Angeles when Harrison Ford’s vintage plane “belly-flopped” down on to the eighth hole.

Dr. Sanjay Khurana said Harrison Ford, 72, was “very lucky” to be alive.

After Thursday’s crash, Harrison Ford’s son said the actor was “battered but OK!”

The actor’s publicist said: “The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.”

Dr. Sanjay Khurana, who witnessed the crash, said he initially feared the pilot would have “very serious, very tragic” injuries after the plane “dropped like a rock”.

But he said Harrison Ford looked “remarkably intact” when he and other golfers reached him.

“Obviously there was a pilot who was in distress and there was fuel leaking and so my concern was that it was going to ignite,” Dr. Sanjay Khurana told reporters.

He said the fuel leak was “pretty robust” and that he thought it could be set alight by “stray cigarette butts or electronics” so asked volunteers to cover it with dirt while he and others helped pull Harrison Ford from the plane.Harrison Ford plane crash California

“He’s not a small guy,” Dr. Sanjay Khurana added.

The rescuers did not immediately recognize the pilot but the surgeon said it did not take them long to work it out.

“I’m an 80s child so I grew up watching Star Wars and Indiana Jones,” Dr. Sanjay Khurana said.

“I’m a big fan.”

The nature of Harrison Ford’s injuries have not been disclosed but the TMZ website, which first reported the story, said he suffered “multiple gashes to his head”.

Shortly after take-off from Santa Monica Airport, Harrison Ford said he was experiencing engine failure with his 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR and was making an “immediate return”.

Harrison Ford was unable to reach the runway and eventually crash-landed on the Penmar Golf Course in Venice.

Officials said the plane had been flying at about 3,000 feet before losing altitude and clipping a tree on the way down.

Christian Fry of the Santa Monica Airport Association said it was “an absolutely beautifully executed emergency landing by an unbelievably well-trained pilot”.

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Toy Story 4 will be a romantic comedy

Sonia Pantiss
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Toy Story 4 will be a romantic comedy

Toy Story 4 will be a romantic comedy, with less of a focus on the relationship between the characters and children, Pixar studio president Jim Morris has revealed.

Jim Morris made the revelation in an interview to Spanish fan site Disney Latino, in which he talked about the future direction of the animated franchise.

“It will be a love story,” he said.

“It will be a romantic comedy.

“It will not put much focus on the interaction between the characters and children.”Toy Story 4 romantic comedy

John Lasseter, who directed Toy Story and Toy Story 2, is returning to direct the new film, which is due for release on June 16, 2017.

The new story was created by the original Toy Story writing team of John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Lee Unkrich.

Jim Morris said that, although Toy Story 4 would pick up from the events at the end of the last film, it wouldn’t be a continuation.

“The third film ended in a beautiful way and completed a trilogy,” he told Disney Latino.

“This movie isn’t part of the trilogy. It’s a separate story and I don’t know if will be continued.”

The news of a fourth Toy Story film didn’t go down well with fans when it was announced in November.

Jim Morris also produced Pixar films Ratatouille, WALL-E and John Carter.

He denied they were reviving the Toy Story franchise just to make money.

“The decision to make a second or third [film] entirely depends on how passionate the director of the project is.

“Fortunately, our films are successful and we don’t have to keep having to make sequels to make money.”

2010’s Toy Story 3 was the highest-grossing animated film of all time, before Frozen knocked it off the top spot in 2014.

Toy Story 3 also won two Oscars – for best animated feature and best original song.

Some of its iconic characters were already well-known toys, such as the Etch-A-Sketch and Mr. Potato Head, while others like Woody and Buzz Lightyear became toys after being invented for the film.

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US adds 295,000 jobs in February 2015

Clyde K. Valle
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US adds 295,000 jobs in February 2015

According to Labor Department figures, the US economy added 295,000 jobs in February 2015, while the unemployment rate fell to 5.5% from 5.7%.

It was the 12th month running that the economy added more than 200,000 jobs, the longest such run since 1994.

The stronger-than-expected jobs figure led to a jump in the value of the dollar.

Markets are now speculating that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates in June this year.US jobs February 2015

The Labor Department figure showed there were job gains in a number of sectors including construction, health care, and transportation.

There were also job gains in food and drinks outlets, professional and business services, and warehousing. However, employment in mining was down over the month.

The figure for the number of jobs created in January was revised down from 257,000 to 239,000.

In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private non-farm payrolls rose by 3 cents to $24.78, with earnings up by 2% over the year.

The labor force participation rate fell to 62.8% from 62.9%, as more people made themselves available for work.

The strong jobs data is likely to raise expectations that the Federal Reserve will be looking at raising interest rates sooner rather than later.

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Michael Brown’s parents to sue Ferguson city

Nancy Clayson
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Michael Brown’s parents to sue Ferguson city

The parents of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, are to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, a family lawyer has said.

Michael Brown, 18, was killed in August 2014 by Officer Darren Wilson, sparking nationwide protests.

On March 4, the US justice department said it would not prosecute Darren Wilson in federal court.

It said it had found racial bias and illegal actions by Ferguson police.Darren Wilson Michael Brown

“He did not have to kill Michael Brown,” lawyer Daryl Parks said of Darren Wilson.

The justice department report said police in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson overwhelmingly arrested and issued citations to black people to boost city revenues through fines and court fees.

That created a culture of distrust, the report concluded.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 4 when the decision not to charge Darren Wilson was made.

In November, a St Louis County grand jury declined to charge Darren Wilson, who has since left the police department.

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New York snow: Delta plane skids off La Guardia airport runway

Nancy Clayson
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New York snow: Delta plane skids off La Guardia airport runway

A Delta Air Lines plane has skidded off the runway at LaGuardia airport in New York City, as a major winter storm bears down on a large part of the US.

Emergency officials helped 127 passengers and five crew off the plane just after 11:00 local time, but no one was seriously injured.

Snow and freezing rain has been falling from Texas to New England over the past several hours.

Schools, businesses, and the US government have closed as a result.

Pictures from LaGuardia airport show the plane, a Delta MD-88, resting on an embankment having pushed through a fence.

“That runway had been ploughed literally minutes before, and other pilots had reported good braking action,” New York and New Jersey Port Authority Director Patrick Foye told reporters.Delta Air Lines plane La Guardia

The flight, Delta 1086, was attempting to land at LaGuardia after flying from Atlanta. It veered to the left shortly after making contact with the runway, but avoided crashing into nearby Flushing Bay.

Two passengers were transported to a hospital, but no serious injuries have been reported.

At one point the plane was leaking fuel, but emergency responders were able to stop the leak.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been dispatched to the scene, Patrick Foye said.

The airport has been closed, and is expected to reopen at 19:00 local time, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says. Planes en route to the LaGuardia have been diverted to nearby airports.

LaGuardia is one of the most difficult airports to land at in the US owing to its close proximity to three other busy airports.

Elsewhere:

  • in Kentucky, motorists have slept overnight in their cars after getting stuck on two highways
  • schools, businesses and local governments across the Northeast and South have closed
  • in Washington, the US government told non-emergency staff to stay home
  • about 82,000 businesses and homes lost power in the state of West Virginia
  • over 4,000 flights have been cancelled

The snow is expected to largely skip Boston, which needs just two more inches of snow to break a record set during the 1995-1996 season.

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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Boston Marathon bombings victim Jeff Bauman locked eyes with killer

Diane A. Wade
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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Boston Marathon bombings victim Jeff Bauman locked eyes with killer

Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings, has testified that he locked eyes with one of the bombers just before the attack.

In the second day of the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Jeff Bauman said he met the gaze of the bomber’s older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was not watching the race.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is on trial for the April 2013 attack and could face the death penalty.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in a shootout with police.

“He was alone. He wasn’t watching the race,” Jeff Bauman, who now has to use prosthetic legs, said.

“I looked at him, and he just kind of looked down at me. I just thought it was odd.”

The testimony comes on the second day of the trial of the younger brother, which opened on March 3 with the surprise admission from the defense that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev participated in the attacks.Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev Boston Marathon 2013

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with 30 counts related to the bombings, which left three dead and wounded more than 260 people.

Several other witnesses took to the stand to offer testimony on March 5.

With an artificial limb clearly visible below her skirt, Roseann Sdoia said she saw two flashes of white light and then realized she no longer had a leg.

Prosecutors showed the jury a gruesome photo of her mangled leg.

“Someone came running over to me and told me I had to get out of there. I told them I couldn’t get up. I didn’t have a leg,” Roseann Sdoia said between sobs.

Jurors also heard from one of the emergency responders who detailed efforts to save a university student’s life and the decisions that officials had to make in the aftermath of the bombing.

Boston police Officer Lauren Woods said she helped perform chest compressions on 23-year-old Boston University student Lingzi Lu, whose whole body shook and whose eyes “kept rolling in and out”.

Lingzi Lu was placed in an ambulance, but was almost immediately removed when a paramedic determined “she was gone” and chose to save the ambulance space for someone who could be helped.

The trial will be split into two parts. This first phase is to determine his guilt or innocence. If convicted, a second phase will determine the punishment, and the jury will have to decide whether he will be put to death.

The entire trial is expected to last three to four months.

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Neil Patrick Harris has doubts over reprising Oscars host role

Sonia Pantiss
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Neil Patrick Harris has doubts over reprising Oscars host role

In a recent interview, Neil Patrick Harris has said he doubts he will ever present the Oscars again, following his much-criticized hosting of this year’s ceremony.

Neil Patrick Harris told The Huffington Post: “I don’t know that my family nor my soul could take it.”

Ratings for this year’s Oscar televised ceremony were down 16% on last year, and the lowest for six years.

Neil Patrick Harris’s stint as host came in for a bashing, with criticism it was flat and even “embarrassing” in places.

The actor had previously won plaudits for his hosting of the Tony Awards, which appeared to suit his style more having a Broadway background himself.Neil Patrick Harris on Oscars 2015

Asked if he read the reviews, Neil Patrick Harris said: “I didn’t keep up with it obsessively, but it was interesting to see just what people thought landed and didn’t.”

He added: “It’s so difficult for one who’s simply watching the show to realize just how much time and concession and compromise and explanation has gone into almost every single thing.

“And I’m not saying that to defend everything I said as if it was the absolute best choice, but it’s also an award show, and you’re powering through 14 acts filled with 20 plus awards.

“So my job was to try and keep things as light and specific to this year’s set of films as possible. And if people are critical of that, it’s a big giant platform, so I would assume that they would be.”

The low ratings of this year’s Oscar ceremony has been partly blamed on the lack of blockbuster movies up for the big prizes, with the contenders including Birdman and Boyhood considered more arthouse than mainstream.

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