A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck just off the coast of central Ecuador on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, though the government said damage was limited. The USGS said the quake's epicenter was 55 miles (88.5 km)northwest of Portoviejo at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km) below the Pacific seabed. The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.1, struck at 5:29 p.m. (2229 GMT).
Friday, June 30, 2017
Magnitude 6.0 quake hits off Ecuador coast, damage limited
Gunman opens fire on New York hospital, killing doctor
A man opened fire in a busy New York hospital on Friday afternoon, killing a female doctor and wounding six other people before turning his weapon on himself, according to officials. The shooter was himself a doctor and former employee of the hospital, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and police chief James O'Neill, who ruled out a connection to terrorism. The police chief added that the gunman apparently attempted "to set himself on fire" before activating the institution's fire alarm system.
Charges dropped against 2 youths in Tennessee wildfires
11 Iconic American Monuments to Visit
There are many reasons you might be looking to work from home. Maybe you have young kids, and you want to work while keeping an eye on them. Maybe you've always dreamed of running your own company and starting an online business at home is the way to get there. Maybe you have a spouse who is your household's primary breadwinner and you just need a little extra cash. Or maybe you need a lot of extra cash to kill off some debt with a side gig.
Ukraine says seized equipment used by Russia to launch malware attacks
Ukraine's state security service (SBU) seized equipment it said belonged to Russian agents in May and June to launch cyber attacks against Ukraine and other countries, the SBU said in a statement on Friday. "Law enforcement officers seized server equipment that was involved in the cyber attack system by Russian secret services," the SBU said, adding that investigations were ongoing. A cyber attack that began in Ukraine spread around the world on Tuesday, knocking out thousands of machines, shutting down ports, factories and offices as it hit around 60 countries.
China slammed the United States on Friday for its decision to slap unprecedented sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash. "We urge the US side to stop their wrongful actions on this issue to avoid any effect on other cooperation issues," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters during a regular press briefing. "We have stressed many times that we firmly oppose any unilateral sanctions," he said, adding that Beijing had "comprehensively implemented" all UN Security Council measures on Pyongyang.
The SDF captured two villages on the southern bank of the Euphrates River that the jihadists had been passing through to withdraw from the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The SDF has been able to completely encircle Raqa," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based monitoring group, which relies on a network of sources on the ground.
India condemned a new road that China is building on the rivals' Himalayan border on Friday, saying it raises "serious security" concerns. The two sides are trading increasingly stern diplomatic warnings over the new hotspot, a remote scrap of territory where the frontiers of China, India and Bhutan meet. Beijing made a formal protest this week, accusing Indian border guards of crossing from the northeastern state of Sikkim into its Tibetan territory to stop the road building.
Senate revises Russia sanctions bill, sends it to House
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate resolved a technical issue on Thursday that had stalled a new package of sanctions on Russia but the measure faces opposition in the House that could mean more delays, lawmakers said. The Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act, which also includes the Russia sanctions, passed the Senate in a 98-2 vote on June 15. Many lawmakers hoped the bill would become law in time to send a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin before President Donald Trump's meeting with him in Germany next week.
As Republicans work swiftly to amend their controversial healthcare bill, different wings of the party appear to be divided on whether they should give a tax break to the rich or protect spending on some of the nation’s most vulnerable. John Thune, the third highest-ranking Republican senator, told reporters “there is interest among a number of our members” to nuke the measure’s tax cuts for the wealthy to gain the votes of moderate Republicans on the bill. With a majority of 52 senators, Republican Senate leadership can only afford two defections on the bill and still be able to pass it.
Iraqi leader declares end to IS caliphate but fight goes on
Child Found Dead In Car, Couple Living Inside Vehicle Arrested
Thursday, June 29, 2017
EPA chief under fire for allowing Dow pesticide after meeting with the company's CEO
A U.S. senator is demanding answers after news broke that Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), met privately with the CEO of Dow Chemical in March — just weeks before Pruitt rejected a petition to ban the company's pesticide. SEE ALSO: Trump might pick a non-scientist to be USDA's 'chief scientist' Chlorpyrifos — which is sprayed on U.S. crops like corn, wheat, and strawberries — can potentially cause impaired brain function in children and lead to acute poisoning of farm workers, according to the EPA's own scientists. Dow Chemical says the science is inconclusive. In a June 29 letter, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the EPA's budget, asked Pruitt to explain why he found other studies to be "more robust" than that of his own agency, especially in light of the chemical's potential risks. An activist protests outside of the Harvard Club where EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt was scheduled to speak on June 20, 2017 in New York City. Pruitt abruptly canceled his appearance.Image: Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesUdall sent the letter a day after the Associated Press reported that Pruitt met with Dow CEO Andrew Liveris on March 9, which was 20 days before Pruitt rejected a petition filed by two national environmental groups asking the EPA to ban all uses of chlorpyrifos. Pruitt and Liveris met for about 30 minutes at a hotel in Houston, according to records obtained by the AP through several Freedom of Information Act requests. Both men were there to speak at a major energy industry conference. Weeks after their meeting, on March 29, Pruitt upheld agricultural use of the chemical, citing the need for "regulatory certainty" and "sound science in decision-making." EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said Pruitt was "briefly introduced" to Liveris at the conference but that the two men did "not discuss chlorpyrifos," the AP reported. Donald Trump, then president-elect, introduces Dow CEO Andrew N. Liveris.Image: Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesPruitt's decision reversed the former Obama administration's finding that the 52-year-old pesticide is potentially too risky to keep spraying on our crops. EPA scientists reached that conclusion last year after extensively reviewing studies that pointed to the pesticide's potential health problems, including learning and memory declines in people who are exposed through drinking water and other sources. One of those studies, by Columbia University researchers, found that children exposed to effects of chlorpyrifos in the womb had persistent "disturbances" in their brains throughout childhood. The EPA banned the chemical for most household settings in 2000, after finding the pesticide — used in common products like Raid sprays and Black Flag ant killer — posed an "unacceptable" health risk, particularly to children. Yet about 40,000 farms in the U.S. still use the chemical on about 50 different food crops. A woman harvests strawberries.Image: FAROOQ KHAN/EPA/REX/ShutterstockIn 2007, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network petitioned the EPA to ban food uses of chlorpyrifos. Later, they sued the agency to compel a ruling on their petition. After the Obama administration proposed a ban in 2015, a court order compelled the agency to issue a final rule by March this year. That forced Pruitt to make a decision, and he acted in Dow's favor. According to the EPA's website, the agency will "continue to review the science addressing neurodevelopmental effects and complete our assessment by October 1, 2022." Disturbing. Which is more important to Pruitt—Dow Chemical or children’s health? EPA must act now to ban Chlorpyrifos. https://t.co/Y8A7pgnISX — Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) June 27, 2017 Sen. Udall urged the EPA to act immediately to stop use of chlorpyrifos, writing: "Delay will only result in additional and unnecessary exposures by farm workers and children who continue to have chlorpyrifos experimented on them while the rest of the scientific community has determined there is reasonable cause for danger." WATCH: How to turn your kitchen into a tiny produce farm
Qatar working with U.S., Kuwaitis on response to Gulf demands: minister
DOHA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Qatar said on Thursday it was working with the United States and Kuwait to respond to a list of demands presented by Arab states who have accused Doha of supporting terrorism, an allegation that ignited a regional crisis between the U.S. allies. The feud erupted on June 5 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel links with Qatar, accusing it also of courting regional foe Iran.
The Latest: Couple arrested in death of girl in California
Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” a traveling exhibition by photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales presents a remarkable series of images taken in the dead of night that reveal historical sites, cities and places that freedom-seekers passed through, including homes of abolitionists who offered them sanctuary.
By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces warned on Thursday of the prospect of fierce confrontation with the Turkish army in northwestern Syria if it attacks SDF areas, and said this would undermine the assault on Islamic State at Raqqa. Naser Haj Mansour, a senior SDF official, told Reuters the SDF had taken a decision to confront Turkish forces "if they try to go beyond the known lines" in the areas near Aleppo where the sides exchanged fire on Wednesday. "Certainly there is a big possibility of open and fierce confrontations in this area, particularly given that the SDF is equipped and prepared," he said.
Iraq sees end to 'caliphate' as Mosul mosque recaptured
Iraq declared the Islamic State group's "caliphate" was coming to an end after it recaptured Mosul's iconic Nuri mosque Thursday, three years to the day after it was proclaimed by the jihadists. The jihadist group announced its self-styled "caliphate" on June 29, 2014 across swathes of territory its fighters overran in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. "Counter-Terrorism Service forces control the Nuri mosque and Al-Hadba (minaret)," Iraq's Joint Operations Command said in a statement.
As exciting as the upcoming launch of a new iPhone can be, it's also fairly easy for big-time tech fans to grow numb. Especially this year, since iPhone 8 leaks starting pouring in months ahead of schedule. We've seen a constant flow of leaks and rumors hit the web, with new revelations popping up on an almost daily basis now. Most recently, the leaks have focused on the iPhone 8's now-final design, which BGR showed the world back in May.
We've seen iPhone 8 renders leak, we've seen iPhone 8 dummy models leak, and we've seen third-party cases and screen protectors leak. Needless to say, we can get a pretty good idea of what Apple's upcoming new flagship iPhone will look like by piecing all of that together. Of course, imagining the iPhone 8 is one thing and seeing the iPhone 8 is another thing entirely.
Now, thanks to a freshly leaked video, it appears as though we've seen exactly what Apple's new iPhone 8 is going to look like. And yes, it's absolutely stunning.
The video in question was put together by gadget leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer in conjunction with a website called Tiger Mobiles, and we first showed it to you on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after it was posted. It doesn't show us an actual iPhone 8. Instead, it shows a mockup made from real glass and metal that is based on leaked iPhone 8 CAD drawings that are believed to be accurate. In other words, it's not the real thing, but in all likelihood it might as well be.
The real takeaway here is simple: Apple's iPhone 8 looks fantastic.
For reasons unknown to anyone outside of Apple, the company decided to reuse the same iPhone design for three consecutive years. We can all speculate as to why the iPhone 7 looks almost exactly like the iPhone 6s, which looked almost exactly like the iPhone 6, but all we can say for certain is that Apple chose to veer from its typical strategy of refreshing the iPhone's design every other year.
Well, that's not entirely true because there's one more thing we can say for certain: Apple fans are long overdue for a fresh new iPhone design. And this coming September, they're going to get it.
Which brings us to yesterday's big iPhone 8 leak. We had seen the design in one form or another at least a few dozen times, but it all came together in Hemmerstoffer's video. Let's have another look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW1gx086ZxU
Again, this isn't an actual iPhone 8. Instead, the creators took CAD drawings of the iPhone 8 that are believed to have leaked from one of the Foxconn factories responsible for building the iPhone 8. Using those drawings, they machined parts out of glass and metal.
Here's a look at the parts that were used:
https://twitter.com/OnLeaks/status/880328185182904320
Why are we taking another look at this video? After three years with the same iPhone design, it was important that Apple wow us with its new iPhone 8. Based on everything we had heard, it seemed like that would be the case. Of course, now that we've seen what appears to be a spitting image of Apple's iPhone 8 in the flesh, we can safely say that this new flagship phone is going to be fantastic.
The glass and polished aluminum edges flow into each other, creating a continuous look that no other phone has achieved. This is further enhanced by the removal of the home button on the front. And of course, there's no space for a fingerprint scanner on the back, so it appears as though Apple has indeed managed to integrate its next-generation optical Touch ID sensor into the display itself.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 8 along with a new iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus in September. It's still unclear if the 8 will be released at the same time as its counterparts or if the 7s and 7s Plus will launch first, followed by the iPhone 8 a few weeks later.
Tiny Bhutan protests to China over border road
The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has protested to its mighty neighbour China over road building in disputed territory that set off new frictions between Beijing and the Indian government on Thursday. China made a new demand on Thursday that Indian troops return to their side of the border between India's Sikkim state and Tibet on the Chinese side. Highlighting the widening tensions over the remote mountain zone, Bhutan's ambassador to New Delhi, Vetsop Namgyel, said his government had called on China's People's Liberation Army to stop building the road near where the Bhutan, Indian and Chinese borders meet.
Dubai ruler takes to verse to urge Qatar turnabout
The ruler of Dubai has taken to verse to urge Qatar to concede to the demands of Saudi Arabia and its allies for an end to a crippling embargo. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, is the latest in a long line of world leaders to turn to poetry to convey their message. In the poem, posted on Instagram late on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed urged Qatar to abandon its independent foreign policy and return to the Gulf fold.
Perjury case dropped against ex-trooper in Sandra Bland case
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Sept. 11 worker facing deportation is freed from detention
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We've spent a majority of 2017 poring over dozens and dozens of iPhone 8 leaks. Some have looked surprisingly legitimate while others have been blatant fakes, but something interesting has happened over the past several weeks -- a unified vision of the iPhone 8 has begun to take shape. Unsurprisingly, not all of the leaks line up with one another, but enough do that we've been able to form a relatively complete picture in our heads of what the flagship device will look like.
This week, Steve Hemmerstoffer teamed up with Tiger Mobiles to bring that vision to life.
What you're about to watch is a hands-on video with the "iPhone 8" -- or at least what we expect the iPhone 8 to look like based on all of the recent leaks and rumors. As the creators of the model explain in the video description, the phone you see below "is manufactured via CNC process. It is based upon 3D CAD sourced directly from the factory in charge of building the new iPhone."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW1gx086ZxU
The rumored design and all of the supposed features of the iPhone 8 are represented on the model in the video, from the vertical dual camera setup to the bezel-less display to the weird camera and sensor arrangement of the front of the phone. The power button has also grown by at least a few millimeters, but the volume buttons and the Ring/Silent side switch appear to be mostly unchanged.
There's really nothing new here, but providing the leaked dimensions and specifications that keep popping up are correct, this could be our closest look at the iPhone 8 until Tim Cook brings it out on stage later this year. Or until someone accidentally leaves a unit in an airplane.
180 airlines flying over 300,000 people a day into the US will have to comply with new "enhanced security measures" for electronic devices, the Department for Homeland Security announced on Wednesday.
The new security measures, which have not been described in detail, will need to be implemented at speed by the airlines. Passengers flying on any airline that does not implement the new security measures will not be able to bring anything bigger than a cellphone under the new regulations.
The new measures seem to be the ultimate evolution of a laptop ban that the US announced back in March, which affected passengers on most airlines flying from the Middle East. The new security measures will affect carry-on and checked luggage, the DHS confirmed, but should now allow those airlines affected by the laptop ban to allow passengers to carry laptops on once again, provided the new security measures are implemented.
Those security measures have not been specified, but the DHS says that it will be a mixture of visible and behind-the-scenes changes. Among the changes is likely to be deeper scrutiny of individual passengers, as well as more detailed searches of electronic devices.
The DHS said that passengers "may want to prepare for a bit more extensive screening process," although an official added that "intensive doesn't always mean slower."
Logical additional screening methods could include routine swabs of electronic devices to look for explosive residue -- something that's already done on a case-by-case basis -- as well as requiring passengers in some cases to power up laptops and demonstrate that they're working.
According to reporting from multiple news outlets, Israeli intelligence idenitified an ISIS plot to use a laptop bomb to attack an airliner several months ago. That intelligence was behind the laptop ban in March. The source of that intelligence is also reported to have been leaked to Russia by President Trump during a White House meeting.
Yes he can: Obama returns to Indonesia for family vacation
By Jessica Damiana JAKARTA (Reuters) - From white water rafting in Bali to visiting temples on Java, former U.S. President Barack Obama's private family holiday is being closely tracked in Indonesia where he spent four years as a child. Obama was six when he moved to Jakarta after his American mother, Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian man following the end of her marriage to Obama's Kenyan father. "I feel proud that my friend became a president," said Sonni Gondokusumo, 56, a former classmate of Obama at the Menteng 01 state elementary school in Jakarta.
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From white water rafting in Bali to visiting temples on Java, former U.S. President Barack Obama's private family holiday is being closely tracked in Indonesia where he spent four years as a child. Obama was six when he moved to Jakarta after his American mother, Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian man following the end of her marriage to Obama's Kenyan father. "I feel proud that my friend became a president," said Sonni Gondokusumo, 56, a former classmate of Obama at the Menteng 01 state elementary school in Jakarta.
Protesters across the country oppose GOP's health care plan
On Tuesday in Pittsburg, Kan., disability rights activists protested against the Senate Republican health care bill that would slash Medicaid funding and roll back Obama’s expansion of the program. They protested in Salt Lake City and in Colorado. It was just one small example of the grassroots effort to target Republican senators in their states that’s become a feature of the political world under Trump.