| Astronomers find seven Earth-size planets where life may be possible Posted: 22 Feb 2017 02:08 PM PST ![Astronomers find seven Earth-size planets where life may be possible]( "Astronomers find seven Earth-size planets where life may be possible") By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Astronomers have found a nearby solar system with seven Earth-sized planets, three of which circle their parent star at the right distance for liquid surface water, raising the prospect of life, research published on Wednesday showed. It is located about 40 light years away from Earth. "I think that we've made a crucial step towards finding if there is life out there," University of Cambridge astronomer Amaury Triaud told reporters on a conference call on Tuesday.
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| US Fed officials say they may need to raise rates 'fairly soon' Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:49 PM PST  US central bankers say they may need to increase the key lending rate "fairly soon," but appear split on the timing amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tax and spending policies, the minutes of their last meeting show. The "hawks" at the Federal Reserve are more concerned about the threat of rising inflation, especially if tax cuts and spending fuel the economy, but the "doves" warn of the risk of raising interest rates based on policies that have not been announced, and whose implications cannot yet be measured. The Fed officials said their outlook for the economy and interest rates had not changed much since December, when they indicated three rate hikes were likely this year, according to the minutes of the January 31-February 1 monetary policy meeting published Wednesday.
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| Le Pen aide charged in 'fake jobs' scandal: judicial source Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:34 PM PST  Paris (AFP) - The personal assistant of French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was charged Wednesday in a scandal over "fake jobs" at the European Parliament, a judicial source said.
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| Caretaker performed sexy dance on 100-year-old with dementia Posted: 22 Feb 2017 01:13 PM PST  SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) — A caretaker at an assisted living center who police say was filmed performing a sexually provocative dance on a 100-year-old resident was doing it as a prank and trying to make the man feel good, her attorney said.
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| The Latest: California freeway reopened after flooding Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:37 PM PST  SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on storms in California (all times local):
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| Mexico fumes over Trump immigration rules as U.S. talks loom Posted: 22 Feb 2017 12:17 PM PST ![Mexico fumes over Trump immigration rules as U.S. talks loom]( "Mexico fumes over Trump immigration rules as U.S. talks loom") By Alexandra Alper and Anahi Rama MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Senior envoys of President Donald Trump are likely to receive a chilly reception in Mexico on Wednesday, after the United States issued new immigration guidelines that deeply angered the southern neighbor the day before bilateral talks. Trump's administration on Tuesday unveiled plans to consider almost all illegal immigrants subject to deportation, and will seek to send many of them to Mexico if they entered the United States from there, regardless of their nationality. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are due to arrive in Mexico on Wednesday afternoon for talks on security and immigration.
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| Mar-a-Lago Winter House May Not Be Secure Enough For President Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:55 AM PST  Donald Trump's presence at his Mar-a-Lago club is raising concerns for the president's life and the cost of securing him against threats due to several recent incidents.
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| Trump Has Two White Houses Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:40 AM PST  Once a critic of former President Barack Obama for his time on the golf course, Donald Trump played 18 holes on Saturday in Florida with golf star Rory McIlroy.
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| U.S.-backed offensive pounds Islamic State in western Mosul as civilians flee Posted: 22 Feb 2017 11:13 AM PST ![U.S.-backed offensive pounds Islamic State in western Mosul as civilians flee]( "U.S.-backed offensive pounds Islamic State in western Mosul as civilians flee") A few hundred civilians have fled their homes in the outskirts of western Mosul, the first reported displacement since a U.S.-backed offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold there began at the weekend. A Reuters correspondent saw about 200 women and children being transported on buses by federal police on Wednesday to the town of Hammam al-Alil, some 20 km (12 miles) south of Mosul, where camps have been set up. The federal police and elite Interior Ministry units known as Rapid Response have made quick progress towards western Mosul in a sweep from the south through hilly desert terrain since fighting resumed on Sunday.
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| Police release audio of suspect in Indiana girls' deaths Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:57 AM PST  DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — A teenage girl turned her cellphone on and recorded a man saying "down the hill" before she and a friend were killed along a northern Indiana hiking trail last week, authorities said Wednesday.
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| Texas to feral pigs: It's time for the 'hog apocalypse' to begin Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:36 AM PST  Texas has a new plan for its 2.5 million feral hogs: total annihilation. Sid Miller, the state's agriculture commissioner, just approved a pesticide — called "Kaput Feral Hog Lure" — for statewide use. "The 'hog apocalypse' may finally be on the horizon," Miller said in a statement on Tuesday. SEE ALSO: First human-pig chimeras created, sparking hopes for transplantable organs — and debate "This solution is long overdue," he added. "Wild hogs have caused extensive damage to Texas lands and loss of income for many, many years." Texas's agriculture commission estimates that feral hogs cause $52 million in damage each year to agricultural businesses by tearing up crops and pastures, knocking down fences and ruining equipment. The so-called hog lure is derived from warfarin, a blood-thinning agent that's also used to kill rats and mice in homes and buildings. Animals don't die immediately from eating the odorless, tasteless chemical. That would be too kind. Instead, they keep eating it until the anti-clotting properties cause them to bleed to death internally. This week, Miller approved a rule change in the Texas Administrative Code that allows landowners and agricultural producers to use Kaput — essentially warfarin-laced pellets — to keep feral hogs off their property. Not on my watch, hogs. Image: mark thompson/Getty Images Proponents of the hog toxicant, including the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, say it's an effective tool because it's only strong enough to kill the swine, and not other wildlife populations or livestock. In January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registered Kaput's hog bait under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, a move that made the product available for general use. Still, environmentalists and hog hunters alike staunchly oppose using warfarin to stamp out Texas's feral pig problem. Pigs poop, after all, and other animals could ingest the warfarin along the way. Some Texans hunt the pigs for sport and food, and they're worried about eating poisoned swine. "For Texas to introduce a poison into the equation is a bad decision in our opinion and could likely contaminate humans who unknowingly process and eat feral hogs," the Texas Hog Hunters Association said in a Change.org petition to block the rule change. MIke and his big ole boar from yesterday. Lamar county Texas https://t.co/jQoS5JbtnQ pic.twitter.com/2SeAKs7zbh — TX Hog Hunters Assn. (@texashoghunters) February 14, 2017 Louisiana might become the next state to use Kaput to quell its feral hog population, which worries state wildlife veterinarian Jim LaCour. He said local black bears and raccoons could easily lift the lid to the cages containing the warfarin-laced pellets. "We do have very serious concerns about non-target species," LaCour told the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. "When the hogs eat, they're going to drop crumbs on the outside, where small rodents can get them and not only intoxicate themselves but also birds of prey that eat them. Since the poison will be on the landscape for weeks on end, the chances of these birds eating multiple affected animals is pretty good," he told the newspaper. The pesticide's manufacturer, Scimetrics Ltd. Corp., assures the pesticide is safe for humans and wildlife — just not for feral pigs.
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| David Cassidy Has Dementia: Here's What That Means Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST  Actor and singer David Cassidy recently revealed he has dementia, but what exactly does this term mean? Cassidy, who is 66, told People magazine on Monday (Feb. 20) that he has dementia, and will stop touring as a musician because of his diagnosis. The actor also said that both his mother and grandfather suffered from dementia.
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| Top US envoys to meet Mexico president to calm tension Posted: 22 Feb 2017 10:00 AM PST  The US secretaries of state and homeland security meet with Mexico's president on Thursday, seeking to ease diplomatic tensions over President Donald Trump's trade and immigration policies. With the countries' relations at their most strained in years, President Enrique Pena Nieto will host US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security chief John Kelly.
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| NASA’s Europa Flyby Mission Passes Major Review Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:40 AM PST  The mission, scheduled for launch in the 2020s, would now enter a preliminary design phase, known as "Phase B."
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| North Korea diplomat wanted over Kim killing: Malaysia Posted: 22 Feb 2017 09:18 AM PST  Detectives probing the assassination of Kim Jong-Un's half-brother want to question a North Korean diplomat, Malaysia's top policeman said Wednesday. Investigators have put five North Koreans in the frame for last week's brazen killing of Kim Jong-Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and have said they are seeking three more for questioning.
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| March of National Dignity in Kiev Posted: 22 Feb 2017 08:59 AM PST ![March of National Dignity in Kiev]( "March of National Dignity in Kiev") Thousands of activists have marched in Kiev to honor protesters who were killed during the pro-European Maidan demonstrations in 2013-14 and to challenge the government. The March of National Dignity was organized by three nationalist parties — Svoboda (Freedom), the National Corps and Right Sector. Activists gathered on Kiev's central Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) early on February 22 and began marching toward Parliament, where they planned to announce their demands to lawmakers, the cabinet, and President Petro Poroshenko.
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| Russia military acknowledges new branch: info warfare troops Posted: 22 Feb 2017 08:40 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — Along with a steady flow of new missiles, planes and tanks, Russia's defense minister said Wednesday his nation also has built up its muscle by forming a new branch of the military — information warfare troops.
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| Thousands flee, freeway shut in flooding near San Francisco Posted: 22 Feb 2017 08:19 AM PST SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Rising floodwaters sent at least 14,000 residents fleeing inundated homes in San Jose, California, and forced the shutdown of a major freeway Wednesday.
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| These Apple iCar concepts are completely awesome, and also ridiculous Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:59 AM PST  Apple's top secret automotive aspirations are well documented, and yet nobody actually knows what the company is building or when we'll get to see it. That's fine, because these "iCar" concepts from ClickMechanic are so cool — and utterly insane — that no actual Apple car could possibly compete with them. Feast your eyes on five automotive designs that have no business in the real world, but are awesome all the same.  Looking like an 80s version of a "futuristic" car, this beauty could have taken the place of the Back To The Future DeLorean and nobody would have complained.  Probably the closest to an actual, road-worthy car, the iCar G3 almost looks like a modern smart car concept. Almost.  The iCar Power is part jet fighter, part post-apocalyptic highway demon. I'd drive one.  I'm not entirely sure how the rear end of the iCar Air works, but the vehicle as a whole looks like it would be completely obliterated in any kind of a collision.  You know what? I'm pretty sure I saw one of these in Blade Runner. I wonder if it has a built-in headphone jack. Obviously, if Apple is actually working on a car that it intends to sell to the general public, there's no way it'll look even remotely like any one of these concepts. Still, it's fun to imagine an alternate universe where Apple is so tied to its own design language that it draws inspiration for a passenger vehicle from its own retro gadgets.
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| Trump to spare U.S. 'dreamer' immigrants from crackdown Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:43 AM PST ![Trump to spare U.S. 'dreamer' immigrants from crackdown]( "Trump to spare U.S. 'dreamer' immigrants from crackdown") President Donald Trump's administration plans to consider almost all illegal immigrants subject to deportation, but will leave protections in place for immigrants known as "dreamers" who entered the United States illegally as children, according to official guidelines released on Tuesday. The Department of Homeland Security guidance to immigration agents is part of a broader border security and immigration enforcement plan in executive orders that Republican Trump signed on Jan. 25. Former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, issued an executive order in 2012 that protected 750,000 immigrants who had been brought into the United States illegally by their parents.
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| Russia successfully launches space freighter after crash Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:24 AM PST  Russia on Wednesday successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft taking food and equipment to the International Space Station after the previous such ship crashed to Earth shortly after launch in December. A Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress cargo ship lifted off on schedule at 05:58 GMT from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. After around nine minutes, the Progress ship "separated normally" from the third stage of the Soyuz rocket and set off on a two-day trip to the ISS, Roscosmos said.
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| New immigration ban order will still face legal challenges Posted: 22 Feb 2017 07:05 AM PST  With a revised immigration ban executive order to be announced this week, the Trump administration hopes to avoid another legal entanglement. But based on the words of the judges and parties involved in the dispute, more controversy is likely to follow a new order.
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| GPS glitch delays SpaceX cargo ship docking at space station Posted: 22 Feb 2017 06:26 AM PST ![GPS glitch delays SpaceX cargo ship docking at space station]( "GPS glitch delays SpaceX cargo ship docking at space station") By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - SpaceX called off the docking of a Dragon cargo ship at the International Space Station on Wednesday due to a problem with the capsule's GPS navigation system, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said. The cargo ship, which blasted off on Sunday from a historic launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will make a second attempt to reach the station on Thursday. "The spacecraft is in excellent shape with no issues, and the crew aboard the space station is safe," NASA wrote in a status report.
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| UK court: Income rule to bring in foreign spouses is lawful Posted: 22 Feb 2017 06:05 AM PST ![UK court: Income rule to bring in foreign spouses is lawful]( "UK court: Income rule to bring in foreign spouses is lawful") LONDON (AP) — Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the government is entitled to set a minimum-income threshold for people wanting to bring foreign spouses to the country, a measure introduced to ensure that immigrants won't draw on public welfare funds.
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| Trump comments put focus on Sweden's embrace of immigrants Posted: 22 Feb 2017 05:47 AM PST  HELSINKI (AP) — When a riot broke out in a predominantly immigrant Stockholm suburb this week, the biggest surprise for many Swedes was that a police officer found it necessary to fire his gun.
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