Food Nutritionist Blogger Account: 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

New economic protests in Tehran challenge Iran's government

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A wave of spontaneous protests over Iran's weak economy swept into Tehran on Saturday, with college students and others chanting against the government just hours after hard-liners held their own rally in support of the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment.

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2 Children Among 4 Dead in Basement in Troy After Act of 'Savagery,' Police Say

Two young children and their mother were among the four family members found killed in an act of “savagery” this week inside their basement apartment in the upstate New York city of Troy

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Congo orders internet and SMS cut ahead of anti-government demonstrations

Democratic Republic of Congo's government on Saturday ordered telecommunications providers to cut internet and SMS services across the country ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations. Grassroots Catholic activists have called for marches in major cities on Sunday to demand that President Joseph Kabila commit to not changing the constitution to stand for a third term and release political prisoners. Kabila was required by the constitution to step down in December last year when his mandate expired but an election to replace him has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled for December 2018.

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The Latest: Self-closing doors mandatory in fire building

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on New York City's deadliest residential fire in decades (all times local):

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Save the bees: Inside a bee sanctuary's fight to save colonies – and the world's food supply – from collapse

On a seven-acre plot of land in upstate New York, an expansive lawn juts up behind a brown cottage, gently sloping down into the woods. “It’s like a desert,” Guillaume Gauthereau, the founder and executive director of the New York Bee Sanctuary, said this past August, gesturing to the lush grass as those same bees swirled around. The difference at the sanctuary, however, is that Gauthereau has carefully cultivated a habitat full of vegetation around that grass that gives bees the opportunity to thrive.

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Sydney seaplane: Six dead as aircraft crashes in river

The aircraft is said to be lying in 13 metres of water and police divers are at the scene.

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Indian superstar Rajinikanth tells fans he is entering politics

The film superstar says he will form a party to "change the political system" in Tamil Nadu state.

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2 Killed in Iran as Official Says Protesters Will ‘Pay the Price’

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Trump reportedly fired his entire HIV/AIDS council by FedEx letter

President Donald Trump reportedly fired the sixteen remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) Wednesday via a letter FedExed from the White House.

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Man Arrested in Connection to Hoax 911 Phone Call that Led to Death of Innocent Man

A man has been arrested in Los Angeles in connection to a hoax phone call that led to the death of an unarmed man in Wichita, Kansas, according to multiple reports

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Trump shakes up diplomacy in first year

From "Rocket Man" to glowing orbs and all the awkward handshakes in between, take a look back at all the ways President Trump shook up global diplomacy in his first year in office.

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Turkey detains 75 Islamic State suspects: police, media

Turkish police detained 75 suspected Islamic State members in two operations on Friday, state media and police said, after arresting about 120 such suspects across Turkey a day earlier, tightening security ahead of the New Year. Some 500 police officers took part in simultaneous raids across Ankara, and many of those detained were foreign nationals, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Materials seized in the raids indicated some of the suspects had made preparations for an attack over New Year, it added.

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Russia sentences financier, Magnitsky advocate to prison

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court on Friday sentenced the financier who has advocated for a U.S. law targeting Russian officials over human rights abuses to nine years in prison in absentia over tax evasion and funneling money overseas.

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Deadly Police Shooting May Have Been Result of Online Gaming Prank

The practice is known as "swatting"

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US eyes increased pumping from biggest federal water project

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday it will look at revving up water deliveries to farmers from California's Central Valley Project, the largest federal water project in the United States, in what environmental groups called a threat to protections for struggling native salmon and other endangered species.

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Putin calls for 'pragmatic cooperation' in New Year wishes to Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for "pragmatic cooperation" in his New Year wishes to US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Saturday. In a statement on the Russian president's New Year wishes to world leaders, the Kremlin said Putin told Trump that "a constructive Russian-American dialogue is especially needed to strengthen strategic stability in the world".

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Donald Trump Heats Up Feud With Iran By Praising Anti-Government Protests

The Iranian government denounced President Donald Trump on Saturday after he escalated his support for the anti-government protesters who have been holding demonstrations in the country for three days.

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Man Arrested in Connection to Hoax 911 Phone Call that Led to Death of Innocent Man

A man has been arrested in Los Angeles in connection to a hoax phone call that led to the death of an unarmed man in Wichita, Kansas, according to multiple reports

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Clashes over US recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital claim 13th victim

A Gazan died on Saturday after being wounded by Israeli fire during a protest on the border over US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a Palestinian health official said. Jamal Muslih, 20, of Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, had been seriously wounded by live fire on Friday, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. He was buried on Saturday afternoon. Muslih’s death brings to 13 the number of Palestinians killed since US President Donald Trump announced on December 6 that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Mourners at the funeral of Jamal Muslih, who died after being wounded by Israeli fire Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP Eleven protesters died after clashes with Israeli troops, and two others were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza earlier in the month. More than 50 Palestinians were wounded in the Friday clashes on the Gaza-Israel border as part of a "day of rage" over the US declaration, called for by both Gaza rulers Hamas and fellow militant group Islamic Jihad. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said at least 16 people were wounded when Israeli troops fired live rounds during demonstrations, while others were hit with rubber-coated bullets. Earlier on Friday, militants in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence system, with the third hitting a village near the border, causing damage but no casualties. Israeli aircraft and tanks targeted two Hamas positions near the border on Friday afternoon in response, again causing damage but no casualties. UN vote to condemn Trump recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel Late Saturday, the Israeli army carried out a second attack, with fighter jets "targeted an observation post belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the southern Gaza Strip," a statement read. According to the army, the Friday projectile attack on Israel proved that "Iran, through radical and rogue terror organisations, is operating to deteriorate the situation," risking lives in Gaza and threatening to cause "an escalation". The Israeli defence ministry has in recent weeks been increasingly highlighting the ties between Hamas and Iran, most notably in a series of Facebook posts by COGAT, the unit responsible for activities in the Palestinian territories. Speaking on Channel 2 television Saturday night, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed that the projectiles fired from Gaza at Israel on Friday were made and supplied by Iran. Rockets from Gaza are often fired by fringe Islamist groups but Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from the territory.

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Court rules 'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz', 96, must go to jail

Germany's constitutional court has ruled that a 96-year-old German must go to jail over his role in mass murders committed at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz during World War Two, refusing to overturn a lower court ruling. Oskar Groening, known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz" for his job counting cash taken from the camp's victims, was sentenced to four years' jail in 2015, but wrangling over his health and age have delayed the start of his sentence. The constitutional court rejected the argument by Groening's lawyers that imprisonment at his advanced age would violate his right to life, adding that the gravity of his crimes meant there was a particular need for him to be seen to be punished.

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Iran protests continue into third night

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show thousands marching through the western cities of Khorramabad, Zanjan and Ahvaz and many smaller towns, while reports spread rapidly that several people had been shot dead by police in the town of Dorud. Several Iranian news agencies warned Telegram, the most popular social media service in the country, might soon be shut down after communications minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi accused one channel, Amadnews, of encouraging an "armed uprising". Annual rallies marking the defeat of the last major protest movement in 2009 had already been scheduled for Saturday morning and brought thousands of regime supporters to the streets across the country.

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Court refuses to release elephants from zoo after campaigners say they are 'persons entitled to liberty'

A Connecticut court has refused to free three elephants from a zoo after an animal rights group asked it to do so. The court ruled that Minnie, Beulah, and Karen do not qualify as “persons entitled to liberty and equality” under state law. Judge James Bentivegna wrote in the decision that “the petition is wholly frivolous on its face” because it relied on applying “human rights of freedom and equality” to the animals.

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Some countries reverse free expression, seeing it as threat

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Two Turkish journalists face possible life sentences on charges they sent "subliminal messages" on television encouraging a government coup. In Hungary, oligarchs loyal to the prime minister have gained control of much of the media after the leading independent newspaper was shut down. And in Poland, a reporter is being threatened with a military trial for writing a book critical of the defense minister.

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Niagara Falls becomes ice-covered spectacle

Temperatures are set to remain below minus 10 degrees Celsius in the area for the next week.

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LA Man Arrested For 'Swatting' Call That Led To Innocent Kansas Man's Death

Authorities arrested a 25-year-old man in California for a “swatting” prank emergency call that led to the death of an innocent 28-year-old Kansas man who was shot by police responders on Thursday evening as he stood on his front doorstep.

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Trump talks China, North Korea in impromptu interview

Speaking with the New York Times, the president acknowledged he’s “been soft” on China on trade, and decried the Russia investigation, but said he thinks Robert Mueller is “going to be fair.”

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Obama: Here are some inspiring 2017 stories

For the New Year, former President Barack Obama shared three uplifting news stories from 2017, encouraging Americans to look beyond the negativity that has seemed to dominate the news this year.

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Gardening games: from 'Yonder: The Cloud Chronicles' to 'Flower Design'

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2 Dead, 1 Injured In Shooting At California Law Firm

A shooter opened fire at a southern California law firm Friday, killing one man and injuring another before fatally turning the gun on himself, police said.

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Gainesville 'Hot Cop' Resigns Amid Investigation Over Alleged Anti-Semitic Comments

Investigators were also looking into allegations Michael Hamill had consensual sex while on the job.

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California set for New Year's buzz with recreational marijuana sales

California adults not content to ring in the New Year with the traditional fizz of champagne can look forward to celebrating with the buzz of marijuana, purchased for the first time from state-licensed retailers of recreational pot. Dozens of newly authorized marijuana stores are due to open for business across California on Jan. 1, launching yet another chapter in America's drug culture and the largest regulated commercial market for cannabis in the United States - one valued at several billion dollars. Newly permitted retailers will rely on a hodge-podge of marijuana producers in the state's illicit "gray market" to stock their shelves for the next six months, until state-licensed growers can harvest their first crops.

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Luann de Lesseps Checks Herself into Alcohol Treatment Center After Palm Beach Arrest

Days after her headline-making arrest, Luann de Lesseps is heading to rehab

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Woman Takes Her Wedding Vows Just Hours Before Cancer Takes Her Life

On Dec. 23, 2016, school psychologist Heather Lindsay was diagnosed with the breast cancer that would eventually take her life.

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Report: White House intern appears to flash 'white power' hand gesture in photo with Trump

A White House intern appeared to flash a white power hand gesture in a photo with President Donald Trump, a signal that some far-right groups have adopted in recent months.

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Dear 2018: Six Americans lay out their hopes for the new year

We spoke with Americans on their hopes for the U.S. in 2018. Here’s what they had to say.

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Alleged 'Nigerian Prince' Email Scammer Arrested In Louisiana

Police in Slidell, Louisiana, have arrested a man who allegedly helped scam people out of thousands of dollars in “Nigerian prince”-style email schemes.

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Videos of Egypt Church Shooting Show Gunman Calmly Leaving Scene

Clips show the gunman who killed nine walking away unchallenged for 10 minutes

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Al Franken Makes First Public Speech Since Announcing His Resignation

thanked his supporters and friends during a speech in Minneapolis Thursday night, in what is expected to be one of his final public appearances as a senator.

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Where deadly Bronx fire raged, an eerie, icy calm

There are barely any traces of fire on the apartment building's facade, no puddles of water on the ground, and only a handful of onlookers. On Friday, only two fire trucks, their lights still flashing, hinted at the drama that had unfolded the evening before in the Bronx.

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North Korean nuclear scientist deported by China 'commits suicide in prison hours before interrogation'

A North Korean nuclear scientist deported back to his home country after defecting to China has reportedly committed suicide in his prison cell hours before he was due to be interrogated. The defector, who is in his 50s, was a lead researcher in the physics centre of the State Academy of Sciences in Pyongyang. He was identified by Radio Free Asia as Hyun Cheol-huh, although it is not known if this was his real name. A source in North Hamgyong province told RFA that he was forced back on November 17 and placed in solitary confinement at the state security department in Sinuiju city, where he consumed poison. “He died before he could be questioned about the reasons for his escape, who had helped him and what his route had been,” he said. Mr Hyun is said to have taken leave from his job “because he was showing signs of anxiety over his research projects,” added the source. “Suddenly, he visited relatives near the border without letting his family know and without carrying valid documents for travel. And when he learned that the authorities were looking for him, he simply disappeared.” Reports have suggested that Mr Hyun had attempted to join up with other defectors and that the Chinese were unaware of his true identity when they were tipped off by North Korean intelligence. Despite building evidence of human rights atrocities, there has been a reported surge in deportations back to the North from China, the most common escape route for defectors. On Friday the Daily NK reported that North Korean border forces have been ordered shoot defectors trying to escape, even if they have already entered Chinese territory, or face the firing squad themselves. The crackdown followed the high profile defection of Oh Chong-song, a young soldier whose daring dash for freedom was caught on camera and broadcast around the world. The orders state that “the entire border region should now be considered the front-line of defence” and be turned into an “impenetrable fortress.” The draconian measures come at great human cost. Last month North Korean defector, Taewon Lee, 29, made a heartbroken plea for international help to save his wife and young child from being deported back after they were caught by the Chinese en route to join him in Seoul. Despite desperately lobbying South Korea’s foreign ministry for help, he discovered late last month that they had been forced back to the North. Little is known of their fate, but in an earlier interview with the Telegraph, Mr Lee was clear about his fears for their wellbeing if they were returned. “They will definitely be sent to a prison camp. In the worst case, they will be killed,” he said.

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Teen Mom Catelynn Lowell Heads Home After Treatment For Suicidal Thoughts

“Teen Mom OG” reality star Catelynn Lowell Baltierra is heading back home to Michigan after six weeks in a treatment center following a struggle with suicidal thoughts.

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The High-Tech Ways Authorities Are Keeping You Safe This New Year

Following a year of deadly terrorist attacks, security is going to be tighter than ever before.

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Trump shakes up diplomacy in first year

From "Rocket Man" to glowing orbs and all the awkward handshakes in between, take a look back at all the ways President Trump shook up global diplomacy in his first year in office.

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Ukraine kidnappers free bitcoin analyst after $1 mln ransom paid

By Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Kidnappers in Ukraine have released an employee at a United Kingdom-registered cryptocurrency exchange after getting more than $1 million in bitcoins as ransom, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister told Reuters on Friday. Pavel Lerner, a leading analyst and blockchain expert, was abducted by unknown masked people on Dec. 26, according to a statement by his company, EXMO Finance, on its website. "This is the first such case in Ukraine linked to bitcoins," Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said in a phone text message.

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Police: Man kills 2, then himself at Houston auto shop

HOUSTON (AP) — A man walked into a Houston auto shop where he used to work Friday and fatally shot two employees before going outside and killing himself, police said.

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Nepal bans solo climbers from Everest

Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents, an official said Saturday. The cabinet late Thursday endorsed a revision to the Himalayan nation's mountaineering regulations, banning solo climbers from its mountains -- one of a string of measures being flagged ahead of the 2018 spring climbing season. "The changes have barred solo expeditions, which were allowed before," Maheshwor Neupane, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, told AFP.

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Model Lauren Wasser on Second Leg Amputation: 'It’s a Hard Decision, But My Only Way to Freedom

Lauren Wasser is again opening up about the toll toxic shock syndrome has taken on her life

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Iran and Saudi Arabia race to pass gender reforms as Tehran relaxes headscarf arrests

Women in the Iranian capital will no longer be arrested for failing to wear a headscarf, Tehran police have said, in a move which follows an unexpected raft of gender reforms in Saudi Arabia. Morality police will no longer automatically detain women seen without the proper hijab head-covering in public, a strict Islamic dress code in place since the 1979 revolution. For nearly 40 years, women in Iran have been forced to cover their hair and wear long, loose garments. Younger and more liberal-minded women have long pushed the boundaries of the official dress code, wearing loose headscarves that do not fully cover their hair and painting their nails, drawing the ire of conservatives. The announcement signalled an easing of punishments for violating the country's conservative dress code, as called for by the reform-minded Iranians who helped re-elect President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, earlier this year. But hard-liners opposed to easing such rules still dominate Iran's security forces and judiciary, so it was unclear whether the change would be fully implemented. Younger and more liberal-minded women have long pushed the boundaries of the official dress code, wearing loose headscarves that do not fully cover their hair Credit: Getty "Those who do not observe the Islamic dress code will no longer be taken to detention centers, nor will judicial cases be filed against them," General Hossein Rahimi, Tehran police chief, was quoted as saying by the reformist daily newspaper Al Sharq. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said violators will instead be made to attend classes given by police. It said repeat offenders could still be subject to legal action, and the dress code remains in place outside the capital. Iran's morality police - similar to Saudi Arabia's religious police - typically detain violators and escort them to a police van. Their families are then called to bring the detainee a change of clothes. The violator is then required to sign a form that they will not commit the offence again. Iran's arch foe Saudi Arabia, under similar internal pressure to liberalise, announced in September that it would finally allow women to drive. Saudis watch composer Yanni perform at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Credit: Reuters Activists had been arrested for driving since 1990, when the first driving campaign was launched by women who drove cars in the capital, Riyadh. Shocking the kingdom, one of the most repressive countries for women in the world, the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a tranche of liberalising changes. In 2018, women will also be allowed to attend sporting matches in national stadiums, where they were previously banned. Designated "family sections" will ensure women are separate from male-only quarters of the stadiums. The crown prince tested public reaction to the move when he allowed women and families into the capital's main stadium for National Day celebrations this year. And Saudi authorities this week allowed female contestants at an international chess tournament to play without the abaya, a long robe-like dress The ambitious 32-year-old heir to the throne upended decades of royal family protocol, social norms and traditional ways of doing business. He bet instead on a young generation of Saudis hungry for change and a Saudi public fed up with corruption and government bureaucracy.

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