| Africa's elusive forest elephants are disappearing Posted: 21 Feb 2017 01:41 PM PST  The clock is ticking to save Central Africa's forest elephants. Populations of the elusive elephants have plunged by around 80 percent inside one of the region's most important nature preserves. Within Gabon's Minkébé National Park, poachers likely killed about 25,000 forest elephants for their ivory tusks between 2004 and 2014, according to a Duke University-led study in the journal Current Biology. SEE ALSO: The world's fastest land animal is even more threatened than we thought That's a significant number of animals, considering that Gabon holds about half of the estimated 100,000 forest elephants across all of Central Africa. Forest elephants in Gabon's Minkébé National Park. Image: john poulsen "The loss of 25,000 elephants from this key sanctuary is a considerable setback for the preservation of the species," John Poulsen, an assistant professor of tropical ecology at Duke'd Nicholas School of the Environment, said Monday in a statement. The dramatic population decline from one of Central Africa's largest, most remote protected areas "is a startling warning that no place is safe from poaching," he added. Across the African continent, populations of all elephants have plummeted from about 1.3 million in the 1970s to less than 500,000 today due to poaching and habitat loss. This week's dismal numbers from Gabon arrive in spite of a concerted effort by governments and conversationists to halt the illegal killing of elephants for their ivory, meat and other parts. Soldiers watch as ivory elephant tusks are burned on a pyre in Libreville, Gabon. Image: Joel Bouopda Tatou/AP/REX/Shutterstock In December, two major global conversation unions adopted resolutions to ban all domestic ivory sales, on top of existing bans on international ivory trading. China, the world's largest ivory market, said it plans to shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017. Gabon itself has also taken important steps to curb poaching, Poulsen said. The government created a National Park Police force, elevated the conservation status of forest elephants to "fully protected," and doubled the national park agency's budget. In 2012, Gabon was the first African country to burn all its confiscated ivory — a gesture meant to snuff out the spike in poaching. Yet Gabon's elephants are still vanishing, as the new research shows. For their study, researchers estimated a population loss of between 78 and 81 percent by comparing data from two large-scale surveys of elephant dung in the Minkébé park, which were done in 2004 and 2014. The team also used different analytical approaches to account for periods of heavy rainfall, which might've sped up the dung's decay and skewed the accuracy of the surveys. Poulsen and his colleagues said that most poachers likely came from outside of Gabon, including the neighboring country of Cameroon. The edge of Minkébé National Park lies just 3.8 miles from a major Cameroon road, which makes it easy for Camaroonese poachers to cross into Gabon, do their dirty work and bring their illegal haul back into Cameroon. Poulsen and his colleagues urged governments in Central Africa to team up to stop illegal cross-border traffic, including by establishing new multinational protected areas and coordinating international law enforcement. BONUS: Elephants take their final bow at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
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| At least 11 US Jewish centers get bomb threats Posted: 21 Feb 2017 01:26 PM PST  Nearly a dozen Jewish community centers across the United States received bomb threats that led to evacuations Monday, in the latest wave of such attacks since Donald Trump became president a month ago. The latest phoned-in threats, at 11 separate sites, bring to 69 the total number of such incidents -- at 54 Jewish community centers in 27 US states and one Canadian province -- according to the JCC Association of North America. It cautioned, however, that all bomb threats made Monday, as well as on three others dates -- January 9, 18 and 31 -- turned out to be hoaxes, and all targeted community centers have resumed normal operations.
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| Murder in Malaysia shows North Korea reckless, bolder: South Korea PM Posted: 21 Feb 2017 01:06 PM PST ![Murder in Malaysia shows North Korea reckless, bolder: South Korea PM]( "Murder in Malaysia shows North Korea reckless, bolder: South Korea PM") The killing of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half- brother in Malaysia last week shows the brutality of isolated North Korea and its "terrorism tactics are getting bolder", South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said on Monday. South Korean and U.S. officials believe Kim Jong Nam was killed by agents from the reclusive North, whose diplomats in Kuala Lumpur have sought to prevent an autopsy on the 46-year-old's body and demanded it be handed over. Malaysian police said on Sunday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of Kim Jong Nam, and that four other North Korean suspects had fled Malaysia on the day of the attack at Kuala Lumpur airport.
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| Police: Newly freed gang member killed California officer Posted: 21 Feb 2017 12:46 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two suburban Los Angeles police officers thought they were helping a driver after a car crash.
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| Grenade attack kills 11 members of Afghan family Posted: 21 Feb 2017 12:32 PM PST  Eleven members of an Afghan family, including women and children, were killed in a grenade attack on their home in the country's volatile east, officials said Monday. The attack, which left three others wounded, occurred in Laghman province on Sunday but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility. "Eleven people were martyred after two grenades were thrown at their house by unknown gunmen in Laghman's Baad Pakh district," the local governor's spokesman Sarhadi Zwak told AFP.
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| Jewish centers report bomb threats across United States Posted: 21 Feb 2017 12:11 PM PST ![Jewish centers report bomb threats across United States]( "Jewish centers report bomb threats across United States") Several Jewish community centers (JCC) across the United States were evacuated for a time on Monday after receiving bomb threats, the latest wave of threatened attacks against them this year, the national umbrella organization said. Some 11 centers including those in the Houston, Chicago and Milwaukee areas received phoned-in bomb threats that were later determined to be hoaxes, said David Posner, a director at JCC Association of North America who advises centers on security. The FBI was investigating the incidents, Posner said.
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| In photos: TV show and movie-inspired bars and restaurants around the world Posted: 21 Feb 2017 11:56 AM PST ![In photos: TV show and movie-inspired bars and restaurants around the world]( "In photos: TV show and movie-inspired bars and restaurants around the world")
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| Iraqi forces on Mosul hilltop gird for fierce fight ahead Posted: 21 Feb 2017 11:36 AM PST  ABU SAIF, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi troops worked to secure a strategic hilltop overlooking Mosul's international airport and a nearby military base on Tuesday, fearing the Islamic State group, which still holds both facilities, may launch another wave of nighttime counterattacks.
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| Waitress evicts huge, pesky goanna that snuck into her restaurant Posted: 21 Feb 2017 11:18 AM PST  What comes in, must go out. Especially if it's a massive goanna and it's in a restaurant. Especially in the case of French waitress Samia Lila, who was tasked with evicting a pesky and rather large goanna which had snuck into a winery's restaurant on Sunday. SEE ALSO: Wild koala and dog hang out, proving that we really can all get along According to ABC News, Lila was serving diners at Mimosa Wines on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, when one of the customers pointed to a goanna on the deck. "I couldn't believe it was a goanna. I thought it was big dog," Lila told the news outlet. She bravely leapt into action, pulling the goanna by its tail out of the venue. The moment was captured and posted on the Mimosa Wines Facebook page. While some commenters on the video have noted that dragging a goanna by its tail is cruel, Lila said she was trying to be gentle in removing the intruder. "I like reptiles, I think he is a really beautiful creature [and] I didn't want to hurt him," she said. Following the encounter, she said was a bit "shaky." Goannas are often timid and aren't really a risk to humans, but they can produce a nasty bite if threatened. BONUS: This flying motorcycle is straight out of Star Wars
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| In Kuwait, 'too many foreigners' becomes a frequent refrain Posted: 21 Feb 2017 10:39 AM PST  KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Kuwait's first new government hospital in more than three decades will soon open its doors — but only to Kuwaiti citizens.
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| Blast in Somalia kills 34 in Mogadishu marketplace Posted: 21 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST  MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's new president visited victims wounded by the Mogadishu car bomb that on Sunday killed 34. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those who planned the blast.
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| ‘A Serbian Trap’: Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:59 AM PST !['A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade]( "'A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade") A trip along the refugee track within Serbia reveals that the old route through the Balkans is still being used despite strong border control, harsh conditions and frozen temperatures. Despite the existence of camps built by the Serbian state, the migrants are here trying to make their way into European Union countries illegally.
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| Death toll rises to 39 in Mogadishu bombing Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:41 AM PST  The toll has climbed to 39 dead in an unusually deadly suicide bombing at the weekend in the Somali capital Mogadishu, rescue workers said Monday, the first since a new president was chosen this month. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are commonly carried out by Somalia's Shabaab jihadists who have threatened a "vicious war" against the new government. "Thirty-nine people died and 27 others were wounded," Abdukadir Abdurahman Adem head of Mogadishu's Amin Ambulance service, said on Monday.
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| Ruling party candidate on top in Ecuador's presidential vote Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:21 AM PST  QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The hand-picked candidate of socialist President Rafael Correa held an easy lead Monday in Ecuador's presidential election, though authorities said it might be a few more days before they determine if he won enough votes to avoid a runoff against his nearest rival.
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| Brazil's race to save drought-hit city Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:59 AM PST ![Brazil's race to save drought-hit city]( "Brazil's race to save drought-hit city") The shrunken carcasses of cows lie in scorched fields outside the city of Campina Grande in northeast Brazil, and hungry goats search for food on the cracked-earth floor of the Boqueirao reservoir that serves the desperate town. After five years of drought, farmer Edivaldo Brito says he cannot remember when the Boqueirão reservoir was last full. Brazil's arid northeast is weathering its worst drought on record and Campina Grande, which has 400,000 residents that depend on the reservoir, is running out of water.
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| Trump supports free press but will call out false reports: Pence Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:38 AM PST ![Trump supports free press but will call out false reports: Pence]( "Trump supports free press but will call out false reports: Pence") U.S. President Donald Trump believes in a free and independent press but he will not hesitate to point out flawed reporting, the U.S Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday. "Rest assured the president and I both strongly support a free and independent press but you can anticipate that the president and all of us will continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts," Pence told a news conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. "When the media gets it wrong, President Trump will take his case straight to the American people to set the record straight," he added.
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| Trump's defense chief: 'We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil' Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:21 AM PST  By Phil Stewart BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military is "not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil", Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, distancing himself from remarks by President Donald Trump, as he held talks with Iraqi leaders on Monday. Mattis was the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit Iraq since Trump irked Iraqis with a temporary ban on travel to the United States and for saying America should have seized Iraq's oil after toppling Saddam Hussein in 2003. Trump told CIA staff in January: "We should have kept the oil.
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| Malaysia summons N. Korea envoy as Kim killing row deepens Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:02 AM PST  Malaysia summoned the North Korean ambassador on Monday for a dressing-down over Pyongyang's attack on its investigation into the assassination of leader Kim Jong-Nam's brother, deepening a diplomatic row. Five North Koreans are in the frame for last week's airport killing, drawing a furious response from Pyongyang which has accused Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with "hostile forces" to damage its reputation. Malaysia recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and summoned the North Korean ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, who was told his accusation was "baseless", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
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| Zimbabwe's Mugabe praises Trump's 'America First' policy Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:45 AM PST  HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy has an admirer in Zimbabwe's controversial president, who says the policy resonates with his own thinking.
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| Le Pen refuses headscarf, nixes talks with Lebanon cleric Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:12 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen refused to don a headscarf for a meeting with Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric on Tuesday and walked away from the scheduled appointment after a brief squabble at the entrance.
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| China opposes U.S. naval patrols in South China Sea Posted: 21 Feb 2017 06:53 AM PST ![China opposes U.S. naval patrols in South China Sea]( "China opposes U.S. naval patrols in South China Sea") China said on Tuesday it opposed action by other countries under the pretext of freedom of navigation that undermined its sovereignty, after a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group began patrols in the contested South China Sea. The U.S. navy said the strike group, including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson, began "routine operations" in the South China Sea on Saturday amid growing tension with China over control of the disputed waterway. "China always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight all countries enjoy under international law," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily news briefing.
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| Cop Helps Girl, 10, With Math Homework After She Messaged Police Department on Facebook Posted: 21 Feb 2017 06:35 AM PST  "I'm having trouble with my homework. Could you help me?" 10-year-old Lena wrote in a Facebook message to the Marion, Ohio Police Department.
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| As he turns 93, Mugabe dismisses corruption allegations Posted: 21 Feb 2017 06:14 AM PST ![As he turns 93, Mugabe dismisses corruption allegations]( "As he turns 93, Mugabe dismisses corruption allegations") By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - As he celebrated his 93rd birthday on Tuesday, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe brushed aside persistent allegations of corruption against senior officials, saying rumour-mongers were merely targeting "big fish" in his administration. In comments to be aired on state media on Tuesday, the world's oldest leader said he would act if shown evidence - even though graft scandals involving ministers and even members of his own family are regular fare in local newspapers. People have not come out and actually said here is a case against a big fish," Mugabe said in the pre-recorded interview.
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| U.S.-Mexico border shooting case at Supreme Court today Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:59 AM PST  The Supreme Court hears arguments on Tuesday in a dispute over a Mexican family's ability to sue a U.S. Border Patrol officer who killed their son in a cross-border incident. Both governments filed briefs in the case, on opposite sides of the dispute.
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| Vatican and Rome Jewish community to host landmark menorah exhibition Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:29 AM PST ![Vatican and Rome Jewish community to host landmark menorah exhibition]( "Vatican and Rome Jewish community to host landmark menorah exhibition") By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican and Rome's Jewish museum will jointly host an unprecedented exhibition on the menorah, the ancient symbol of Judaism, and try to put to rest legends on the fate of one candelabra missing for 15 centuries. The May 15-July 23 exhibition, which Vatican and Jewish officials presented on Monday, will be held simultaneously in St. Peter's Square and in the Rome synagogue complex.
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